‘American Idol’ contestant puts spotlight on rare syndrome
January 28th, 2008
From the Chicago Tribune:
The popular show opened its seventh season with a video clip of aspiring singer Angela Martin and her 8-year-old daughter who has Rett syndrome, a little-known genetic disorder.
“The e-mail started flying in as soon as the show was over,” said Chuck Curley, director of the International Rett Syndrome Research Foundation and a father of a 12-year-old with the condition. “This is a huge moment for us.”
No one knows how far Martin will go in the competition, but advocates hope that such national exposure can do for the disorder what Michael J. Fox did for Parkinson’s disease, Christopher Reeve for spinal-cord injuries and Katie Couric for colon cancer.
For the 6,000 or so “orphan diseases” in the United States, such awareness is a key way to funnel more dollars into research.
This entry was posted
on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 2:25 pm and is filed under NOT2BEMISSED, celebrities, entertainment, genetics, personal stories, philanthropy.
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