Columns

Last week, my mom and I attended a fundraising event for the Cure Sanfilippo Foundation. It was an opportunity for us to spread awareness about Sanfilippo syndrome — a rare, terminal disease that has no cure — to many people who weren’t familiar with it. A slideshow…

My family recently had the pleasure of attending a gathering sponsored by the Cure Sanfilippo Foundation, a nonprofit that leads the charge in research, advocacy, and support for those affected by Sanfilippo syndrome. Eight children with Sanfilippo attended with their families. Several of us had connected via Facebook…

“Do we get to go to the Halloween party next week, Momma?” my 10-year-old daughter asked the other day. “We do get to go!” I replied happily. “They gave me the date a long time ago and we were able to schedule it in. Dad and Will are probably going…

Standing in front of my mirror, I fluffed my freshly curled hair. “Well,” I murmured, “let’s see how this goes.” I grabbed my bag and keys while calling for my daughter. It was time to drive her to school and get myself to work. Somehow, against all odds, I’d found…

At 25 years old, thinking about my future is scary. It will be filled with many life changes and milestones. As a Sanfilippo sibling, my future will also be filled with devastating loss and grief. At 28, my sister, Abby, has Sanfilippo syndrome, a rare, neurodegenerative disease. It has…

I recently attended the ADVANCE 2023 virtual conference about Sanfilippo syndrome, which provided a wealth of information about the disease: reports from researchers regarding experiments and findings, news of potential clinical trials and therapeutic advancements, and tips from parents on raising children who have it. As a parent…

It’s another season of chaos in our house. I don’t know why I’m surprised. Chaos is our normal. Life with our son, Will, who has Sanfilippo syndrome, is rarely easy. Sometimes the challenges we face are expected, given his condition. But other times they are things we never…

About once a month, a group of friends and I share our latest favorite memes. It’s always a witty and humorous collection, so I take a few minutes to read through them when they’re sent around. This time, though, one of the them stopped me in my tracks. It read:…

While chatting with a friend recently, I found myself talking about my sister, Abby, and my fears regarding her future. Abby has Sanfilippo syndrome, often referred to as a childhood Alzheimer’s. At 27 years old, she’s lost most of her basic life skills, and she’ll eventually lose her…

Our family recently gained a second caregiver for my daughter, Abby. Now we have two women who care for Abby and help provide respite for my husband and me. For families who have disabled children, caregivers are exceptionally important. They’re vital in allowing families to rest and recuperate. Abby…

Dear Husband, I love you. I appreciate you. You don’t have to go out of town the week before Father’s Day to prove how essential you are. With love (and sarcasm), Your wife You often hear about the bravery and courage of special needs moms, but there are a…

Recently, my parents created a TikTok account dedicated to my sister, Abby, who has Sanfilippo syndrome. One video they shared had pictures of Abby and me at different ages. As I scrolled through the comments, I saw one noting that I had gone from being Abby’s little sister…

Raising a disabled child is difficult. They require more help to be successful in the world. They may need something as simple as extra time to complete tasks or something much more involved, such as wheelchairs or other mobility equipment. When disabled children reach adulthood, caring for them can become…

To many of you, it’s May. To those of you with school-aged children, it’s “Maycember” — that hectic time at the end of the school year. To me, it’s also less than a month until my baby boy, Will, turns 13. We are fully immersed in Maycember here.

I have a bad habit of being right. If you ask my husband, he will jokingly confirm that he avoids getting into disagreements with me because I’m often proved correct (or because he just doesn’t want to waste energy arguing with me — a fair point as well!). The reason…

As a Sanfilippo sibling, I grew up with my sister, Abby, who is two and a half years older than me. We lived in the same house for about 20 years, so we made lots of memories together. I often view my life in parts, as if it were…

Raising a child inherently involves worry, and many parents stress most about their children’s well-being and safety. Some parents have more reasons to worry than others. I, for instance, have an adult daughter, Abby, with Sanfilippo syndrome. Since it’s rare and terminal, I feel extra worry. I’ve written…

As February bleeds into March, which then bleeds into April, our family is caught up in a slew of emotionally taxing anniversaries. This month we … celebrated? Dealt with? Survived? Recognized? … that it has been eight years since we learned our son, Will, has Sanfilippo syndrome. It’s a…

In 2017, my daughter Abby was diagnosed with Sanfilippo syndrome, a rare, terminal disease. It’s sometimes referred to as “childhood Alzheimer’s” because the symptoms are similar. As a small child, Abby used to be able to speak, interact with others, and independently perform many tasks. This disease is…

“Oh, no.” That’s never a good thing to hear in our house. I pick up my pace as I walk to the kitchen, where my husband, Tim, is feeding breakfast to our son, Will, who has Sanfilippo syndrome. “What’s wrong?” I ask, always fearful of the answer. “He’s doing…