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And now we have a diagnosis.

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[This is the blog post written in 2014 when we got Josie's diagnosis and years before I knew I'd be co-founding the FOXG1 Research Foundation to find a cure] On April 8th I got the call we have been waiting for since November. Katie, from Dr. Iglesias' office (the Geneticist at Columbia), asked "Is now a good time?" I said "yes." I think I held my breath in those few seconds between my apprehensive "yes" and her telling me the "gene mutation we found in Joise is..." She explained that Josie has something called Congenital Rett Syndrome. No, that can't be it, Josie was tested for Rett Syndrome a year ago. But this is Congenital variant of Rett Syndrome and is caused by a different gene than the MECP2 gene that is responsible for about 90% of all Rett Syndrome cases. Josie has a mutation on her FOXg1 gene. There is a significant difference. Most Rett Syndrome children develop quite well until about 18 months, but the word Co
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Honk For a Cure : The Power of "Yes"

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 << My article in the special Capitol Theater edition of the El Goose Times >> During the thick of the pandemic in January of 2021, my then 13 year-old son Tanner had a Zoom guitar lesson with Rick Mitarotonda! I couldn’t believe this was really an option when I bought it for him during the holidays. They played for an hour and after the lesson Rick and I talked for a while. We talked about the pandemic, about the music biz, and Tanner’s guitar knowledge (I’m bragging). I told him about Tanner’s sister, Josie, and how she was born with this awful rare disease called FOXG1 syndrome and that I started a research foundation to find a cure for it.  With the coolest sincerity, Rick said, “Whatever I can do to help, please let me know.”  My eyes lit up. “Really?”  “Yes, ” he said. And he meant it.  When Rick put me in touch with his manager Ben, I knew I better hurry up and follow through because these guys were about to take off! You know how they say, you know a truly good pers
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The Air That I Breathe...

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Day 11 in the PICU. It feels like I'm living in a Netflix series called The PICU. The past few days - or episodes- have been quite a roller coaster ride. We're up and then we're down again. It's all just leading to the dramatic comeback, right? We'd lose viewers if we didn't add more excitement on the way to recovery. So Josie is keeping us glued to our screens. Let's recap... Sepsis and Pneumonia stole the opening act. That ER scene was Scorsese worthy, Josie. The fear in the doctors eyes. Mom's knees go weak. Enter the Infectious Disease team. So swiftly they investigate, identify, and tackle the evil bacteria. While Sepsis was slowly getting killed off the show, Pneumonia introduced a new antagonist named Major F*kn Breathing Problems (Maj. FBP). **cue title music ** Maj. FBP sure did shine a light on the awful condition of Josie's lungs. Low capacity plus aspiration, they were a breeding ground for infection. I wonder how long this has been goin
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