Those who have been impacted by Dyskeratosis Congenita/Telomere Biology Disorders have a beautiful story to share. We want to hear your story and we want others to hear it too. We encourage you to use this forum to share your experiences, with the hope that it will offer encouragement to those who read it, and provide a way for families to connect and support one another. Team Telomere will also honor these stories through social media and printed materials. This forum is not intended as a vehicle for promoting other charities or personal causes. Therefore we ask that your submissions not include solicitations for donations or promotions of any kind. We reserve the right to edit content deemed inappropriate in this regard.
Share Your Story
Marcelina Opolska
Gene: TINF2
The story of our daughter Marcelina – breaking our hearts and taking away our hopes… Not long ago I was sure that I am mum of three healthy, wonderful and dream daughters and there was nothing foretold a tragedy. Our third daughter Marcelina was born on 12th February...
Damian Carbajal
Gene: TERC, RUNX1, U2AF1
Hi, my name is Damian. I'm originally from Tucson, Arizona. After high school I joined the Air Force to work on RADAR jamming systems for fighter jets. I embarked on this adventure healthy and with no conditions in August of 2011. In 2017 I felt as if I plateaued in a...
Diana Papazian
Gene: TINF2
Bonjour, Diana est atteinte d'une téloméropathie , le diagnostique est tombé il y a un an. Elle avait quelques pétéchies et une prise de sang à révélée un niveau de plaquettes extrêmement bas (17000). On n'a cru d'abord à un PTI et les examens complémentaires ont été...
Kaitlin Dillon
Gene: RTEL1
My name is Kaitlin Dillion, and I'm 24 years old. I was diagnosed with DC when I was 7/8. A couple of months later, at the NIH, I was diagnosed with Hoyeraal Hreidearsson Syndrome, a severe variant of DC. I was born 30 1/2 weeks premature. I had Moter and...
Lorelei Robertson
Gene: TINF2
At 37 weeks of pregnancy, I sat anxiously across from my OBGYN, who reviewed a STAT ultrasound I had done 15 minutes prior. He looked at me and said, “It’s time to have a baby!” After two long days of labor, Lorelei (Rori) was born on an early Friday morning in April....
Robin Huiras
Gene: TINF2
I was diagnosed with DC 35 years ago when I was 10 years old. I inherited a genetic variation in my TINF2 gene from my father, who, along with his identical twin brother was the first in our family to have DC. My blood counts were always low, but in my early 20s i was...
Aidan Yamashita
Gene: Unknown
Aidan was always a healthy and active kid. He was the one kid that was never home sick from school. When he was a freshman in high school, he noticed shortness of breath when he played ultimate frisbee. A trip to the pulmonologist provided us with an inhaler, with...
Milàn Nardin Pontaillier
Gene: TINF2
At age 3, Milàn’s skin was covered in petechiae. After a lot of tests showing that the platelets were abnormally low, the diagnosis came back: short telomeres with mutation of gene TINF2, Dyskeratosis Congenita. The doctor explained everything, this was rare and we...
Callie Rivera
Gene: CTC1
Callie has a story that took a long time to figure out! She was born prematurely in 2015 at 31 weeks and spent 40 days in the NICU. While there, the pediatric ophthalmologist noticed what he thought was ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) and she was treated accordingly...
Send Us Your Story
Each community member who shares their story retains full ownership of it. You have the right to edit your story or request its removal at any time, ensuring that you remain in control of how your experiences are shared. We want to honor your voice and ensure you feel comfortable with how your story is presented.