A Short Life with Tay Sachs & Advocating for Preconceptual Carrier Screening
Shannon’s son James was a little slower than most babies to meet his developmental milestones, but it wasn’t until after he had his first seizures that he was finally diagnosed with Tay-Sachs, a rare, inherited, autosomal recessive condition that progressively destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Shannon and her husband had a total of just 27 months with James. Shannon shares how after receiving the diagnosis, she learned to live in the moment and appreciate the time she had with him. Her experience has also made her an advocate for offering patients expanded carrier screening—ideally before pregnancy!
Connect
National Tay Sachs and Allied Diseases Association
Connect with Shannon on Instagram: @shannonmiller9
Book recommendation: It’s OK that you’re not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn’t Understand, by Megan Devine
More from parents of children with Tay Sachs:
Interview with Carla on the Call Your Mother podcast: ”A Mother, Not a Hero”
Three Short Years: Life Lessons in the Death of My Child, by Becky Benson
The Still Point of the Turning World, by Emily Rapp
Listen on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, or Anchor.
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