Archive for June 2022

Linsey Rippy was 16 weeks pregnant with her second child when she learned her daughter, Madi, had dilated cardiomyopathy. She was just two-and-a-half years old. “Our hospital in the Twin Cities ran every genetic test on Madi, but nothing came up,” Linsey said. “She’d had a virus a few weeks before, so they figured that’s…

Some personality traits are inherited. A child may be introverted, agreeable or meticulous like a parent. Other traits are learned, such as mannerisms, speech patterns and resilience during adversity. Resilience and strength are traits that Rae Reekie and Amy White have in common. This mother and daughter duo also live on the same street in…

Travis Heidt was holding his son, Franklin, for the first time. “It was a very joyous time and also an overwhelming time,” says the first-time parent. He was unsure of how to hold Franklin, unsure of how to care for him. But Travis knew that he and his wife, Morgan, would figure it out. They…

Growing up, Dylan Randazzo, 25, faced many struggles after being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth. “I was always sick,” says the New York native of the daily battle against the thick, sticky mucus that would fill his airways. “I didn’t think I would live long.” The chase to find a better quality of life…

From the beginning of Hussein’s life, a shroud of worry surrounded him. Something was wrong. The infant couldn’t keep down anything he ate. When he was 6 weeks old, his mother, Manal, noticed blood in his stool. He lost precious weight and was hospitalized due to failure to thrive. Hussein’s first few months were defined…