My name is Brenda Natal and not too long ago I was as many of you reading this are; a working single mom struggling to make it through the day with my sanity intact under the weight of the multitude of hats we as single mothers are obligated to wear. One thing for sure finding out you are sick can be both scary and overwhelming, but these feelings quickly faded as I was resolved to stay positive a
nd think in terms beyond myself. LCH is an autoimmune disease that is extremely rare in adults. The odds of my diagnosis are actually one in a million ( hence, the name of our ambitious fledgeling organization). The hardest part of having such a rare condition has so far been the initial lack of answers and direction. There is nothing more disheartening as a patient, than to look towards a doctor for answers to questions of life or death significance only to be presented with a shrug and a befuddled expression before being passed off to another clueless healthcare professional. I would eventually discover that there were only four doctors in the world who specialized in my specific condition. Luckily, one of those doctors is based in the United States. If I only would have been guided in the right direction from the beginning it would have saved me so much anxiety, time and resources. Thats why we created One in a Million; to provide others who have recieved such rare diagnosis, the support and answers they desperately need. I don't want anyone else to go through what I've had to on the beginning to my road to recovery. So, we expect 2012 to be a year full of growth so that we may touch as many lives as we can and change them for the better.
