Connective Issues Fall 2023

 The Hopkins Family, England Charlotte and Matthew Hopkins were determined to conquer logistical and financial obstacles in order to travel from England to attend the Health Fair. Their goal? Obtain much-needed medical assessments and advice for their 8-year-old daughter, Georgie, who was diagnosed at age 4 with Loeys-Dietz syndrome. “This was our first time at Conference,” said Charlotte. “In England, our experience has been that little is known about LDS. We really wanted to go all out and see the experts, including Dr. Dietz. It has taken four years for Matthew and me to dip our toes into the LDS research and connect with others. Prior to this, we were simply too frightened, things were still too raw. It has taken a long time to mentally be able to take this step to attend Conference.” Attending Conference was not an easy feat for the Hopkins family. They needed to raise funds to fly to the United States. To help with the financial challenges, they planned several fundraisers within their community. “My husband jumped out of a plane and completed a skydive the day before we flew to Chicago!” Charlotte

 Charlotte, Harry, Georgie, and Matthew.

said. “And both Harry and Georgie put on a big family 5K fun walk for all the local families in our community. We raised the full amount needed in just a few weeks.” Attending the Health Fair and Conference was a life changing experience for the Hopkins clan. They sought reassurance and expert advice and learned about specific medications, appropriate dosage, and important contraindications. “We will never forget meeting Dr. Dietz and Dr. Young in particular,” said Charlotte. “Georgie’s medication and care plan has changed as a result! The experience was so insightful and provided much-needed hope.” “We hope to save to attend all future Conferences going forward if we can,” she said. “To connect with others has been amazing as well as the research and information! For Georgie to meet little girls with LDS just like her has been beautiful. We hope to use this experience to help other families in the UK.”

 Neurologist Dr. Divakar Mithal assesses Georgie.

 Medical experts from across the country came together to provide much-needed assessments and testing for our community.

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Fall 2023