Once Upon A Gene

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 085 Helping to Further the Patient Impact of Genomics with DadVocate and Genome Scientist at Congenica - Charles Steward Charles Steward was one of the first scientists to work on the human genome project, led the original research analysis for human chromosome 10 and has established international collaborations on various projects. He's currently the Patient Advocacy an...

Intro Music by Scott Holmes

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 084 Relief and Inspiration for Mothers of Children with Rare Diseases with Angel Aid Cares Founder - Cristol O’Loughlin Angel Aid Cares works to provide connection, relief and support to caregivers. The founder, Cristol O'Loughlin is sharing her story that begins with her role as a rare sibling and unfolds with heartbreak, passion, grit and grace.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Tel...

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 083  Advocates Come in Small Packages - My Life With Blau Syndrome With Keira Howell Keira Howell is a twelve year old living with Blau Syndrome joining me to share her story of living with a chronic disease. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Tell me about yourself. I'm twelve years old and I have Blau Syndrome. I love to act, sing and do anything related to musical theater.  Why would...

Intro music by Scott Holmes

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 082  Rare Disease - The Ultimate Special Teams with Uplifting Athletes with Rob Long Rob Long is the Executive Director at Uplifting Athletes and is a rare brain cancer survivor. His passion and drive for Uplifting Athletes makes him an inspirational hero and he fights relentlessly everyday so others don't have to face challenges in isolation.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you...

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 081 Rare Disease Adoption with Josh and Monica Poynter Josh and Monica Poynter have a son named Tag with severe Hemophilia Type A, a rare genetic disease which makes him vulnerable to prolonged bleeding. Despite this, these rare parents knew they wanted to grow their family. They were unable to have another biological child and welcomed their adopted son Trey into their...

Intro music by Scott Holmes

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 080 Rare Disease and Grief - It’s OK That You’re Not OK with Megan Devine Megan Devine is the author of It's OK That You're Not OK, a psychotherapist, a grief advocate and communication expert dedicated to helping people face their toughest experiences. This book, her story and explanation of grief changed everything for me. After this episode, be sure to get a copy of t...

David Ross is a patient advocate, passionate about mental health and creating space for males experiencing mental health struggles. His activism began in 2017 when he was diagnosed with a rare disease called Cowden syndrome. He became dedicated to raising awareness and helping to support others impacted by Cowden syndrome. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS When were you introduced to the rare disease world? I wa...

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Media with a Mission with Believe Limited CEO Patrick James Lynch Patrick James Lynch has to inject himself with medication every other day because his liver doesn't produce a protein that helps his blood vessels seal when they burst. He and his brother were both born with hemophilia and he's since lost his brother to the disorder. After his loss, he felt compelled to reach others to provide suppo...

Kara Karlson is a fellow rare disease mama and attorney who is advocating hard in the policy world. She's currently serving on the Governor's Developmental Disability Advisory Council ("DDAC") where she helps set policy and develop programs for the developmentally disabled in Arizona. She is sharing her top tips for becoming your best advocate.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Tell me about your daughter and h...

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ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 076 AllStripes: Jump Start New Research for Your Rare Disease with Caitlin Nichols Caitlin Nichols is the Scientific Affairs and Research Manager at AllStripes— the first and only research platform dedicated to rare diseases. They make it easy for patients to contribute to new treatment studies from home. They do the work to collect, analyze and de-identify medical recor...

Fellow rare mom and podcast host, Madeline Cheney, is joining me for a chat today. Be sure to check out her podcast, The Rare Life Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe! EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Tell me about yourself and your family. I am a stay at home mom to four-year-old Wendy, who is medically typical. Two year old Kimball has a very rare disorder. My husband and I live in Utah. When I'm not carin...

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Mariah Gillaspie started the Lightning and Love Foundation for her two daughters, Abby and Emma, who both have the only known mutation of the fact THAP12 gene. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Tell us about yourself, your daughters and Lightning and Love. I'm the mom to two ultra rare little girls, 4 year old Emma and 2 year old Emma. They both live with a genetic condition which is technically still un-diagnos...

Dr. David Solomon is the CEO of Pharnext, an advanced clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company using artificial intelligence to create therapies for rare and orphan diseases. Their first drug for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT1A) is in it's second pivotal Phase 3 trial. CMT1A is a rare genetic disorder of the nervous system with no current satisfactory treatment available. Dr. Solomon is committ...

Intro music by Scott Holmes

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 072 The Importance of Early Intervention with Kindering CEO Lisa Greenwald Early intervention or birth to three are the vital services kids can receive in the beginning of their diagnosis journey. Dr. Lisa Greenwald is the CEO of Kindering, a licensed language and speech pathologist, holds a PHD in communication science and disorders and an executive certificate in non-p...

After losing his child to a rare congenital disease in 2012, Harsha Rajasimha applied his years of post-doctoral genomics data research experience at National Institutes of Health to develop a technology platform to accelerate clinical research. As the Founder and CEO of Jeeva Informatics and Founder and Chairman of the international humanitarian nonprofit Indo-US Organization for Rare Diseases (I...

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Nathan Peck is a dadvocate living with an adult onset disease. He's also the Founder and CEO of Cure VCP Disease. Through Cure VCP Disease, Nathan and his wife Allison are committed to bringing together patients, caregivers, researchers, pharmaceutical companies and other non-profits to identify treatments and find a cure for Valosin-Containing Protein (VCP) Disease.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Tell us ab...

Rare Disease Day is on Sunday, February 28th, 2021 and I'd love to know how you're celebrating and what Rare Disease Day means to you. Share a short voicemail message with me here! Ben Munoz is the President and Co-Founder of Ben's Friends. The organization is dedicated to ensuring that patients with rare disease or chronic illness and their caregivers, family and friends have a safe and supportiv...