Greatest Birthday Gift

Last year, I spent my birthday at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Not celebrating with cake or presents, but watching Yara become the first patient there to receive a potential treatment for Jordan’s Syndrome as part of the clinical trial.

I had spent the previous decade helping make that moment possible: working alongside scientists, clinicians, researchers, industry partners, and hundreds of families. Building partnerships. Opening doors. Raising funds. Pushing forward when the path didn’t yet exist.

But none of it truly felt real until I watched Yara swallow that first pill.

Today, one year later, I’m spending my birthday back at the same clinic as Yara begins Year 2 of the trial.

For many people, the changes they see might seem small.

For families like ours, they’re life changing.

When you’ve spent years celebrating inches instead of miles, you learn that the smallest changes can carry the greatest meaning.

I’m overwhelmed with gratitude.

For Yara, whose courage continues to amaze me.

For the families who never stopped believing.

For the researchers, clinicians, and partners who chose to make this mission their own.

And for the privilege of playing a role in bringing hope a little closer for our community.

Two birthdays in a row. The same clinic. The greatest birthday gift I could have asked for.