By Julie Kennedy Thirty years ago, my family began the journey called, “life with ectodermal dysplasia.” We didn’t know it at the time, but my husband had tooth and nail syndrome. Many in his family had it, but it was just shrugged off as weird shaped and missing teeth, a “Kennedy Thing.” It was not discussed…
Keep on Smiling: The Story of Lucy’s First Surgery
By Lucy Davies January 27th, 2017 is a date I will never forget. To most people, it marked the one week anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration, but I had something far more personal scheduled for that day – my first dental implant surgery. When growing up with ectodermal dysplasia, “implants” was a word constantly thrown…
Expanding Our Volunteer Team in 2017
Service and giving are qualities that are greatly cherished by all of us at the NFED. You, as a volunteer, help our organization by lending a kind helping hand – and our only payment to you are wages of love, gratitude and knowing that you are making a significant impact on lives. Everyone has such busy…
Our Voice on Capitol Hill
Becky Abbott is leading efforts to help NFED families understand their insurance benefits and educate legislators for coverage for ectodermal dysplasias.
Collaborating With Friends Globally
By Mary Fete Here it is November with the holidays just around the corner. For you, I am sure that it has been a busy fall. It is always so hectic getting the kids back to school and/or working on the end of the year work commitments. Fall is rapidly ending (although the weather in…
Taking Ectodermal Dysplasias to the Hill
By Becky Abbott As a member of the ectodermal dysplasia community, it has been frustrating, to say the least, having to deal with insurance, human resource administration, and politicians. We have submitted claims to insurance, had them denied, submitted again, denied again and been through the vicious circle so many times that we didn’t know where to…
Greetings from the NFED
Happy Spring! Or, at least we hope it arrives soon. What’s going on at the NFED? Needless to say, we are busy, busy, busy! I would like to share with you our progress towards our goals and other activities. Family Conference We are in full gear preparing for a great Family Conference in St. Louis,…
It's Time For a Change: Advocating for Children with Rare Diseases
By Becky Abbott I’m frustrated and sometimes angry. I’m angry not only as a parent, but as a member of the rare disease community. Our journey started like so many other families who have children with rare diseases. It took several years, many doctor appointments and documenting symptoms. Finally, after being referred to a pediatric…