Amelia is a teenager who is affected by ankyloblepharon-ectodermal dysplasia-cleft lip and/or palate (AEC) syndrome. When she was born, she had toes that were connected and a few other signs that were different. She started turning blue at two hours and lived in the NICU for months. She was suffering from chonal atresia. Maggie, her mom,…
Maximus’ Story with Goltz Syndrome
After a normal pregnancy, Brandi and Corey knew right away that something was wrong when their son, Maximus was born. He had a wound on the top of his head, fused fingers and a missing toe. The nurses were hesitant to wipe off the newborn in fear his skin may slough up. In this interview,…
Suzanne’s Story with EEC Syndrome
Suzanne lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Will, and their children, Caitlin and Tyler. Mom and son are both affected by ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting (EEC) syndrome. This tenacious educator grew up never knowing that her symptoms were actually a part of a genetic disorder. In this interview, Suzanne discusses growing up without a diagnosis, finding her…
Maverick’s Story With HED
Roy and Leslie welcomed their fourth child and first son Maverick in 2009. From the beginning, he had signs that made him different than their other three children. He was sensitive to the sunlight where they lived in Texas and only wanted to go outside at night. When Maverick finally developed a few teeth and…
Information To Take to Your Doctor or Dentist
When you have a rare genetic disorder like ectodermal dysplasia, it’s possible that you will know more about your condition than a doctor or dentist. We know that it can be frustrating for you when you are the one seeking answers. With thousands of rare disorders, it’s not reasonable to assume a care provider will know…
"A Cool Experience"
By Liz Timmerman, mother of 2 year old Violet from Michigan. Just over a year ago, my youngest daughter was diagnosed with HED at the age of one years old. The first year of her life was filled with many challenges and I was seriously starting to doubt my abilities as a mother because my…
Organizing Medical and Dental Information
It is a good idea for you to keep your medical information in a personal file. People tend to change physicians more frequently as jobs and insurances change. You may choose to enter medical or dental information in a laptop, or keep hard copies in a notebook or binder. Dating all of your entries will…
We Volunteer So Others Don’t Feel Lost
by James Kluzek We were asked why we volunteer for the NFED. It all started November 16, 2000 when our daughter, Christina, was born with a genetic disorder called Goltz syndrome. This day changed our lives forever. We had never heard of this syndrome and more importantly most of our doctors knew nothing about it either….