Fragile but Fierce – a Column by Patrice Williams

First in a two-part series. Our son Jonah, who was born with junctional epidermolysis bullosa in 2009, struggled to eat from the beginning. It was one of the main reasons he had to remain in the NICU after he was born. Jonah finally ate…

Last in a series. Read part one.  I continued an interview this week with my son Jonah, who is 11 and was born with junctional epidermolysis bullosa (EB), after we both got a bit long-winded the last time we sat down to chat.

First in a series. My son Jonah was born with junctional epidermolysis bullosa in 2009. He is now 11 and in the sixth grade. I am honored to write this column about EB, but Jonah is the one we need to hear from. Being his mom is the greatest…

Our son Jonah is 11 years old now and just began the sixth grade. It blows my mind to think that it has been 11 years since our journey with epidermolysis bullosa began. In some ways, it feels like it’s been much longer, and…

When my son Jonah was born with epidermolysis bullosa, saying it was a shock is a gross understatement. Unknowingly, my husband, Matt, and I each carried mutated genes that, when joined together, made for a monster disease that ravaged our sweet baby’s tender body.  Our first…

The scariest thing about a rare disease is that nobody has the answers you’re desperately seeking. When you are facing something so unfamiliar and the people who are supposed to know don’t, it’s terrifying. The first couple months of the life of my son…

In most cases I don’t agree that “ignorance is bliss.” In general, the more information we have, the better people we are and the wiser our choices. But there are certainly some things I wish I didn’t have firsthand knowledge of. I wish I didn’t know how McDonald’s…