Patient Stories with Grey Genetics

Silvia’s son Nicky was born with a devastating condition called Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). On her websites and in her books, she describes his skin as fragile as a butterfly’s wing which can blister at the slightest touch, causing pain and scarring and leading to disfigurement and disability. Today Nicky is 24 years old. Silvia shares how her perspective on Nicky’s diagnosis was shaped by her previous experience of delivering a stillborn son at full term. She tells her story of caring for and advocating for a child with a rare disease, building a supportive community online in the early days of the internet, and recent efforts that give her more hope for the needed cure for EB.

Links and Resources

EB Info World

Silvia’s blog

Butterfly Talk: Silvia’s YouTube channel where she talks with other moms about coping and celebrating their kids with EB

Books by Silvia Corradin:

Butterfly Child: A Mother’s Journey: Silvia’s book about Nicky, his life with EB, and her journey as his mother

Living With Epidermolysis Bullosa: A compilation of stories written by families touched by EB

Losing Alex: The Night I Held An Angel: Silvia’s story of her experience with her first son Alex, who was stillborn at full term.

Special Mommy Chronicles: A compilation of columns written by Silvia, offering insights, stories and struggles that go along with raising special kids.

Have thoughts or a related story you’d like to share?

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Do you want to support Patient Stories? You can now make a donation online!

Want to support Patient Stories in a non-monetary way? Leave us a review on iTunes, or share your favorite episodes on Social Media.

Patient Stories on Twitter: @GreyGeneticsPod

Patient Stories on Instagram: @patientstoriespodcast

Are you looking for genetic counseling? Patient Stories is sponsored by Grey Genetics, an independent telehealth genetic counseling and consulting company. Book an appointment with a genetic counselor specialized in your area of concern. All genetic counseling appointments take place over secure, HIPAA-compliant video-conferencing or by phone.

Not quite ready for genetic counseling but still looking for guidance? Check out our new family history review services here.

As a junior in high school, Mikaela played varsity softball. When her performance started to decline and she wasn’t feeling well, she was initially told she likely had an ear infection. The second doctor she saw ordered a brain MRI to rule out a possible brain tumor. The third doctor she saw ordered a full body scan to rule out the possibility of additional tumors. Within a few weeks, she’d had multiple surgeries to remove tumors in her brain, neck, and spine and had a diagnosis of Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome. Mikaela shares how her diagnosis, multiple surgeries, and resulting chronic pain and nerve damage have impacted her life, first as a teenager and now as a young adult and how she is learning to balance living with a rare disease without letting it limit her.

Links and Resources

VHL Alliance

Aware of Angels

Miracle’s for Mickey (Mikaela's Blog)

Follow Mikaela on Instagram: @MikaelaGage7

Have thoughts or a related story you’d like to share?

Leave us a short voice message here! We may use your message on a future show.

Check out other Patient Stories podcast episodes.

Read other Patient Stories on the Grey Genetics Patient Stories Page.

Do you want to support Patient Stories? You can now make a donation online!

Want to support Patient Stories in a non-monetary way? Leave us a review on iTunes, or share your favorite episodes on Social Media.

Patient Stories on Twitter: @GreyGeneticsPod

Patient Stories on Instagram: @patientstoriespodcast

Are you looking for genetic counseling? Patient Stories is sponsored by Grey Genetics, an independent telehealth genetic counseling and consulting company. Book an appointment with a genetic counselor specialized in your area of concern. All genetic counseling appointments take place over secure, HIPAA-compliant video-conferencing or by phone.

Not quite ready for genetic counseling but still looking for guidance? Check out our new family history review services here.

At her 20 week ultrasound, Chelsea learned of a likely diagnosis of Trisomy 18. Her Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening (NIPS) results then also came back positive for Trisomy 18. Chelsea and her husband Doug felt tremendous pressure from the genetic counselor and many doctors involved in her care to pursue amniocentesis. Chelsea and her husband sought out more information about the diagnosis on their own (with the help of #Trisomy18) and eventually made the decision to move from their home in Louisville, KY in order to receive prenatal and postnatal care from a supportive care team in Cincinnati. Chelsea’s daughter Stella had a better prognosis than many children with Trisomy 18 yet still lived just 39 days. Chelsea and her family treasured their time with her and still love seeing The Stella Effect—how Stella has impacted so many lives. They have recently set up a nonprofit in this name.

Links and Resources

Follow The Stella Effect on Social Media

Instagram: @TheStellaEffect

Facebook: @TheStellaEffect

SOFT - Support Organization For Trisomy

Have thoughts or a related story you’d like to share?

Leave us a short voice message here! We may use your message on a future show.

Check out other Patient Stories podcast episodes.

Read other Patient Stories on the Grey Genetics Patient Stories Page.

Collect and share your family history through the FamGenix app.

Do you want to support Patient Stories? You can now make a donation online!

Want to support Patient Stories in a non-monetary way? Leave us a review on iTunes, or share your favorite episodes on Social Media.

Patient Stories on Twitter: @GreyGeneticsPod

Patient Stories on Instagram: @patientstoriespodcast

Are you looking for genetic counseling? Patient Stories is sponsored by Grey Genetics, an independent telehealth genetic counseling and consulting company. Book an appointment with a genetic counselor specialized in your area of concern. All genetic counseling appointments take place over secure, HIPAA-compliant video-conferencing or by phone.

Not quite ready for genetic counseling but still looking for guidance? Check out our new family history review services here.

Brianne Kirkpatrick returns to the podcast to give us an update  on changes in direct-to-consumer (DTC) and ancestry genetic testing over the past two years. Some of the biggest changes: a greater awareness of privacy concerns and more resources and support for those affected by unexpected DNA discoveries.

Brianne Kirkpatrick is a licensed and certified genetic counselor and the founder of Watershed DNA. She provides online group and 1 to 1 support for individuals affected by unexpected DNA discoveries. Brianne is a co-author of The DNA Guide for Adoptees and is currently working on her second book, one for individuals involved in surprise DNA family discoveries.

Related Resources

Listen to the Dec 2018 interview with Brianne: “To Gift or Not to Gift that At-Home DNA Testing Kit?”

Find support through Watershed DNA

The Watershed DNA Mighty Network

Book an appointment with Brianne

Brianne’s blog

Watershed DNA Resources & DNA Surprise Stories

Follow Brianne on Social Media

Brianne on Twitter: @GCBrianne

Brianne on Instagram: @GCBrianne 

Brianne on LinkedIn

Other NPE Support Resources 

NPE Friends

Right To Know

npecounseling.org

Do you want to support Patient Stories? You can now make a donation online!

Want to support Patient Stories in a non-monetary way? Leave us a review on iTunes, or share your favorite episodes on Social Media.

Patient Stories on Twitter: @GreyGeneticsPod

Patient Stories on Instagram: @patientstoriespodcast

Are you looking for genetic counseling? Patient Stories is sponsored by Grey Genetics, an independent telehealth genetic counseling and consulting company. Book an appointment with a genetic counselor specialized in your area of concern. All genetic counseling appointments take place over secure, HIPAA-compliant video-conferencing or by phone.

Mary had always experienced a lot of joint pain as a child. At fourteen, she realized that not everyone lived with chronic pain. As she got older, she had testing done to rule out a number of GI conditions and rheumatologic disorders. Two years ago, without finding an answer through doctors, she started doing research on her own and kept coming across the possibility of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Mary discusses the challenges to getting a diagnosis of EDS within our healthcare system, how a diagnosis has impacted her life and the care and referrals she receives from physicians, and how a diagnosis has given her permission to rest and take care of herself.

Links and Resources

The Ehlers-Danlos Society

Director of EDS-friendly specialists

Dougherty, Michael J. “Closing the Gap: Inverting the Genetics Curriculum to Ensure an Informed Public.” Am J Hum Genet. 2009 Jul 10; 85(1): 6–12.

Have thoughts or a related story you’d like to share?

Leave us a short voice message here! We may use your message on a future show.

Check out other Patient Stories podcast episodes.

Read other Patient Stories on the Grey Genetics Patient Stories Page.

Collect and share your family history through the FamGenix app.

Do you want to support Patient Stories? You can now make a donation online!

Want to support Patient Stories in a non-monetary way? Leave us a review on iTunes, or share your favorite episodes on Social Media.

Patient Stories on Twitter: @GreyGeneticsPod

Patient Stories on Instagram: @patientstoriespodcast

Are you looking for genetic counseling? Patient Stories is sponsored by Grey Genetics, an independent telehealth genetic counseling and consulting company. Book an appointment with a genetic counselor specialized in your area of concern. All genetic counseling appointments take place over secure, HIPAA-compliant video-conferencing or by phone.

Not quite ready for genetic counseling but still looking for guidance? Check out our new family history review services here.

When Kathryn graduated from Northwestern University's Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling in 2009, high-risk programs related to GI Cancer were new, as was universal tumor testing. Kathryn shares how she worked with GIs to build cancer/high-risk GI programs in multiple locations. She discusses the strength of a multidisciplinary approach to patient care and how she has seen the shift from tiered, step-wise testing to panels impact patient’s experience with genetic testing.

Schedule a genetic counseling appointment with Kathryn.

Related Resources

Pancreatic Cancer Surveillance Programs

Goggins M, Overbeek AO, Brand R. “Management of patients with increased risk for familial pancreatic cancer: updated recommendations from the International Cancer of the Pancreas Screening (CAPS) Consortium.” Gut. 2020 Jan; 69(1): 7–17.

Aslanian HR, Lee JH, Canto MI. “AGA Clinical Practice Update on Pancreas Cancer Screening in High-Risk Individuals: Expert Review.” Gastroenterology. 2020 Jul; 159(1):358-362. Epub 2020 May 19.

NCCN: Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic Cancer

The Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Colorectal Cancer (CGA)

Emily Richins and Chris Emineth connected through a Facebook support group for parents of children with Dravet Syndrome, a rare and severe form of epilepsy characterized by frequent, prolonged seizures, developmental delay, and other health problems. They share how Dravet has affected their lives and relationships, why the current Covid era is familiar and even easier for them, and what they’ve learned from one another and from their children.

Links and Resources

Dravet Syndrome Foundation

Make A Wish Foundation - kids with Dravet syndrome and other forms of epilepsy automatically qualify

Kids’ Waivers: information on Katie Beckett and other similar programs

Certified genetic counselor Jamie L’Heureux shares her personal story of trying to collect family history information surrounding her father’s diagnosis of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), describing the challenges she encountered as well as obstacles to genetic counseling appointments and genetic testing. She also discusses how she is now using the FamGenix app as a strategy to both solicit family health history from her 13 paternal aunts and uncles and share the information with those same family members.

Links and Resources

FamGenix website (geared toward providers)

FamGenix app for Apple (in the iTunes Store)

FamGenix app for Android (in Google Play)

Indications for referral to cardiovascular genetic counseling

Have thoughts or a related story you’d like to share?

Leave us a short voice message here! We may use your message on a future show.

Check out other Patient Stories podcast episodes.

Read other Patient Stories on the Grey Genetics Patient Stories Page.

Do you want to support Patient Stories? You can now make a donation online!

Want to support Patient Stories in a non-monetary way? Leave us a review on iTunes, or share your favorite episodes on Social Media.

Patient Stories on Twitter: @GreyGeneticsPod

Patient Stories on Instagram: @patientstoriespodcast

Are you looking for genetic counseling? Patient Stories is sponsored by Grey Genetics, an independent telehealth genetic counseling and consulting company. Book an appointment with a genetic counselor specialized in your area of concern. All genetic counseling appointments take place over secure, HIPAA-compliant video-conferencing or by phone.

Not quite ready for genetic counseling but still looking for guidance? Check out our new family history review services here.

Leslie Ordal, MSc, CGC, is a certified genetic counselor who specializes in psychiatric genetic counseling. Leslie discusses the importance of risk assessment and counseling over any genetic testing related to mental illness, of helping people to understand and adapt to the contribution of genetics to their health or that of their family.

Links and Resources

Follow Leslie on Twitter: @GenCounsNews

The Adapt Clinic

The Adapt Clinic on Twitter: @psychgenetcouns

Have thoughts or a related story you’d like to share?

Leave us a short voice message here! We may use your message on a future show.

Check out other Patient Stories podcast episodes.

Read other Patient Stories on the Grey Genetics Patient Stories Page

Do you want to support Patient Stories? You can now make a donation online!

Want to support Patient Stories in a non-monetary way? Leave us a review on iTunes, or share your favorite episodes on Social Media.

Patient Stories on Twitter: @GreyGeneticsPod

Patient Stories on Instagram: @patientstoriespodcast

Are you looking for genetic counseling? Patient Stories is sponsored by Grey Genetics, an independent telehealth genetic counseling and consulting company. Book an appointment with a genetic counselor specialized in your area of concern. All genetic counseling appointments take place over secure, HIPAA-compliant video-conferencing or by phone.

Not quite ready for genetic counseling but still looking for guidance? Check out our new family history review services here.

Chris Bombardier was born with a severe form of Hemophilia B. He was also an active, athletic kid, passionate about baseball. As a young adult, Chris became passionate about mountain climbing and set a goal of completing the Seven Summits (summiting the highest mountain on each continent). The recently released documentary, Bombardier Blood, follows Chris’s summit of Mt. Everest and provides a glimpse into what it’s like to live with hemophilia in Nepal, highlighting the disparity in health outcomes, depending on access to healthcare and to factor. Chris is now the Executive Director of Save One Life, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering individuals and families affected by bleeding disorders in developing countries through direct financial assistance and access to medical treatment.

Links and Resources

Bombardier Blood website 

Where to stream Bombardier Blood

Save One Life website

Follow Save One Life on Social Media

   Instagram: @saveonelife

   Twitter: @SaveOneLifeInc

   Facebook

   LinkedIn

   YouTube

National Hemophilia Foundation

Hemophilia Federation of America

Have thoughts or a related story you’d like to share?

Leave us a short voice message here! We may use your message on a future show.

Check out other Patient Stories podcast episodes.

Read other Patient Stories on the Grey Genetics Patient Stories Page

Do you want to support Patient Stories? You can now make a donation online!

Want to support Patient Stories in a non-monetary way? Leave us a review on iTunes, or share your favorite episodes on Social Media.

Patient Stories on Twitter: @GreyGeneticsPod

Patient Stories on Instagram: @patientstoriespodcast

Are you looking for genetic counseling? Patient Stories is sponsored by Grey Genetics, an independent telehealth genetic counseling and consulting company. Book an appointment with a genetic counselor specialized in your area of concern. All genetic counseling appointments take place over secure, HIPAA-compliant video-conferencing or by phone.

Not quite ready for genetic counseling but still looking for guidance? Check out our new family history review services here.