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When Is It OK to Quit Fighting Rare Disease?

If she were still alive, my younger sister would have celebrated her 22nd birthday today. Instead, Taylor died from CLN1 disease (Batten disease) in September 2018, more than 12 years after her diagnosis. Long before I said goodbye to my sister, I knew all of the work our charity,…

What Can COVID-19 Teach Us About Batten Disease?

Can you remember a stranger year than 2020? I was a college sophomore on 9/11, but while that tragedy mostly united Americans, the COVID-19 pandemic and growing racial tensions have proved divisive. And while neither of these crises directly relates to rare disease, I can’t help…

Batten Disease: Life, Interrupted

The message landed in my inbox just before lunch on Day 61 of the quarantine. I was working from home while making lunch for my 1-year-old son, juggling content strategy with clementines. Shuttling between my makeshift standing desk and Jack’s already messy highchair, I glanced down at my phone quickly,…

Rare Disease Therapy Development: Finding a Way Forward

Gaining access to lifesaving or even life-altering treatments has never been easy for many rare disease patients — including those with Batten disease. But the landscape is changing. What felt like a slow crawl in my sister’s lifetime (Taylor was diagnosed with CLN1 disease in 2006) is now, if not…

Running to the Finish Line, for Taylor’s Sake

I miss my sister. Many people in the rare disease community are surprised, even shocked, to learn that I have a full-time job — which, along with my 16-month-old son and writing books and running races, rounds out my life outside of Batten disease. I worked that job from home…