Despite having SMA Type I, Conor is doing all the things that healthy 18 month olds do.
Our son, Conor, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type I, was diagnosed in March 2020 at 3 days old through Massachusetts’s newborn screening pilot program. Newborn screening saved Conor’s life and gave him the chance to thrive! Despite having SMA Type I, Conor is running, climbing things, throwing and kicking balls, eating pizza and chicken nuggets, and doing all the things that healthy 18 month olds do. It’s because of newborn screening that he is able to do this! Newborn screening can provide babies who have deadly and debilitating genetic conditions like SMA the opportunity to receive disease-modifying treatments before their symptoms begin. We hope that sharing Conor’s story will lead to many more “Conors” born in the U.S. and around the world.
