Our Special Grandson

Donna Garrett-Miller details how her grandson, Noah, was born with complications that led to an Ankyloblepharon-Ectodermal Defects-Clefting (AEC) syndrome diagnosis.

Ronan, Our Unborn "Celtic" Legend…What a Shock and a Joy!

By Dennis Claire, D.P.M., Father of Denny and soon to be Ronan Well before she was pregnant, my wife said, “If it’s a boy, he’ll be named Ronan.”  Our first son, Denny, had a name which was predestined through generations of naming a son in the family Dennis. I didn’t want to break Irish tradition, and…

Overwhelmed With Love and Belonging!

By Terri Andrews I was born in a little rural area in Alabama in 1959. Not much was known about ectodermal dysplasia nor the type of ectodermal dysplasias I was born with called ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting (EEC) syndrome. If I received any type of major treatment or surgery, I had to travel at least 100 miles, which was not…

The True Meaning In Life Is To Plant Trees, Under Whose Shade You Never Expect To Sit!

 By Ashli Matus-George Allyson Kelso’s Aunt Founder, Rally for Ally When Ally was born on December 22, 2004 in Oxnard, CA, it was an exciting time.  A new baby, Christmas for her three-year-old big sister, Morgan. My then fiancé, Tom, and I were recently engaged and planning a wedding, Kristin had a thriving career, and…

It Was Time That I Stop Ignoring the Thing That Made Me Most Unique

By Heather McKelvie In 1996, my mother and I went the Family Conference, which was in St. Louis that year.  Looking back, I don’t remember very much about it.  Perhaps because I was a teenager, I was in denial about the fact that my EEC was a life-long condition that I would always have to deal with. …