Kate’s Take on Rare Care - a Column by Kate Manger

When my daughter Caroline was diagnosed with Pompe disease, I knew life would look different. I figured our routines would change, our priorities would shift, and our days would suddenly be filled with appointments, infusions, and medical conversations I never imagined I’d have. What I didn’t expect was how…

When people hear about in vitro fertilization (IVF) after a rare disease diagnosis, they probably think the hardest part is either the cost or the medical side of things. Those parts are definitely overwhelming. But for me, the hardest part wasn’t the science; it was the question that kept circling in…

We’re back in the waiting room at the geneticist’s office. Since my daughter Caroline was diagnosed with late-onset Pompe disease at birth, these appointments have become part of our routine. Today, she’s 7 years old and kneeling on a seat two chairs away from me so she can look…

When my daughter Caroline was diagnosed with late-onset Pompe disease as a baby, we started enzyme replacement therapy before her first birthday. I remember spending what felt like endless hours at our children’s hospital, meeting new doctors and nurses, going through test after test. At first, it was…

For me, one of the hardest parts of parenting a child with Pompe disease hasn’t just been learning all the new medical terms or keeping up with appointments. It’s the decisions. The ones that don’t have clear answers. The ones that keep me up at night, long after the…

Our family spent last week in Florida for spring break. We skipped the theme parks and wild adventures this time, choosing instead to stay at a hotel by the beach. The kids loved bouncing between the pool and the ocean, and we all got a chance to slow down and…

My husband and I have been together for 20 years. We met in college, dated on and off, and got married 13 years ago. We decided to wait a few years before having kids so we could enjoy things like traveling, sleeping in on weekends, and having control over our…

When my child was diagnosed with Pompe disease, I realized pretty quickly that understanding the condition was just one part of what we faced. The other part was explaining it to everyone — family, friends, teachers, other parents at the playground, even strangers who noticed something and asked questions…

When a child is diagnosed with Pompe disease, they’re not the only person affected. The disease changes everything for the entire family. Suddenly, schedules and priorities shift. One of the hardest things for me as a parent was figuring out how to talk to my other children about what…

When our daughter Caroline was diagnosed with Pompe disease through newborn screening in 2018, our world turned upside down. We were suddenly lost, searching for answers amid a flood of tests, labs, and medical opinions. We chose to start enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) within her first 12 months.