skip to main content

Vital Signs: Sseptember 1999

The wrong diagnosis tears a family apart.

Written byRobert Marion
| 1 min read
Follow on GoogleGoogle News Preferred Source
Placeholder image

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

Melissa, just 1 year old, was playing with toys on the floor in my office. Her mother, Lisa, sat on a couch, three feet away. Her father, Barry, sat at the other end of the room. Not once during the hour we spent together did Lisa and Barry make eye contact or speak directly to each other. At no time did Melissa attempt to crawl toward either of her parents; nor did she look to her parents for comfort. This isn't the way most families behave during their first visit to a medical geneticist.

Full text of this article appears in Discover magazine.

Placeholder image showing Earth from space with an alert icon and the message ‘This image is no longer available.’

Osteogenesis Imperfecta FoundationNIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center

Meet the Author

Published In

Related Topics

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe