Cate Hargett
Gene: Unknown

Although 11-year-old Cate has struggled with bone marrow failure all of her life, we only recently learned that she has very short telomeres. As a baby, Cate was transfusion dependent, and her doctors thought she might have Diamond Blackfan Anemia. Later, as thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, and other issues developed, doctors wondered if she might have Shwachman Diamond Syndrome, and she does have a single copy mutation of EFL1. In 2022, a genetic test discovered her very short telomeres, and we discovered Team Telomere and many of the answers we’d been searching for. Even though there have been many ups and downs in Cate’s story, she’s never lost her smile or determination to meet life’s challenges with a fierce desire to overcome.