Columns

The unseen battles: Advocating for mental health in the porphyrias

Living with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) can be a profoundly isolating experience — not just physically because of porphyria symptoms and the requisite avoidance of sunlight, but emotionally and mentally as well. That’s the often-overlooked psychological landscape that children, like my son, navigate daily because of their chronic conditions.

How one woman with AIP is turning hope into action

“Hope in Action,” the name of this column, stems from a motivating quote I heard early in my advocacy. My son Brady had recently been diagnosed with erythropoietic protoporphyria, a rare disease that impairs his ability to tolerate sun exposure. Hungry for information, I attended a seminar at…