jtotheizzoe:

I found my son’s killer.

It took three years.

But we did it.

I should clarify one point: my son is very much alive.

Yet, my wife Cristina and I have been found responsible for his death.

That’s how Matt Might (of The Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D. fame) introduces us to his heart-wrenching tale of a sick child. Months of research, dozens of doctors’ visits and no answers found … only more questions. Time was, and is, running out for their son. 

So they decided to go beyond the cutting edge, and have their genomes sequenced (the parts that encode proteins, anyway). Their son is patient zero of a never-before seen disorder, and the knowledge to save his life lies just beyond our reach.

It’s a must-read, and a reminder of why we toil in labs across the world: To move that line a bit farther out, and help people like Matt and his son.

If you’d like to help support this work, Matt is selling printed copies of his famous Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D. with proceeds going to research to benefit genetic disorders.