By Maureen Having ectodermal dysplasia can be hard. Especially growing up. I had never met another person with ectodermal dysplasias until I went to my first National Foundation of Ectodermal Dysplasias (NFED) Family Conference in 2014 at the age of 46. I had always felt alone. I don’t know which type of ectodermal dysplasia I…
I Love the Family Conference
By Jason D’Angelo I love the Family Conference. It’s my second family and after as many times I have been, I still get so much out of it. I was fortunate enough to bring my girlfriend, Tiff (pictured above), last year which was a huge step in my life. She looks forward to going again…
A Leap of Faith to Open Ourselves
By Nancy Nelsen, Guest Blogger We attended the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias (NFED) Family Conference during the summer of 2015 in Colorado Springs. Neither of us, my husband, Karl and I, were prepared for the emotions that filled us as we listened to other families’ stories, and told our own. We felt supported, connected…
Maverick’s Story With HED
Roy and Leslie welcomed their fourth child and first son Maverick in 2009. From the beginning, he had signs that made him different than their other three children. He was sensitive to the sunlight where they lived in Texas and only wanted to go outside at night. When Maverick finally developed a few teeth and…
We Are Flying High!
We just wrapped another life-changing, heartwarming, spirit-lifting Family Conference in St. Louis! What an amazing conference from start to finish. The conference started off with Jack Kriz riding his bike in from Kansas City. He rode 288 miles of bike riding in the awful heat. What dedication to do this ride to raise money for the…
Our First Conference
By Randi Walker I can still remember walking in to our first NFED Family Conference in Colorado Springs, Colo. Weston, our only child at the time, was three years old. Those first three years were quite difficult. Weston had experienced several symptoms of x-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED), but his doctors had never heard of…
We are Family! My Brothers, Sisters and Me!
By Chris and DeAnn Huxman In 2001, our second son, Tyler, was born with ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting (EEC) syndrome. We had never heard of EEC, had no information about it, and had no idea what the future would hold. We didn’t know where to turn or where to find information. While searching the web for anything about EEC,…
Why I Volunteer for NFED: My Son and Others Like Him
By Jill Radley I found the NFED in 1992, upon the recommendation of my childhood dentist at the University of Minnesota. When I received the literature packets I had a light bulb moment. I looked at the pictures and I felt that I was looking in the mirror. It explained so much to me. I…