From the December issue of New Jersey Magazine comes the inspiring story of Dee and Jim White who, after working with 10 doctors over the course of three years, learned that their two young daughters had Canavan Disease, a fatal neurological brain disorder. While most children affected with Canavan Disease suffer devastating symptoms at an early age, the White girls, age 6 and 9, lead happy, active lives.

It turns out that the White girls’ case is unusual because of their unique genetic makeup. The girls’ mother, Dee, has a never before seen gene mutation that could help lead to the discovery of a cure. Dr. Paola Leone, director of the Cell & Gene Therapy Center at the University of Medicine and Dentistry at New Jersey’s School of Medicine is working with the sisters’ genetic material to determine which genetic or biochemical mechanisms are responsible for their good health, in hopes of recreating it in other Canavan patients.

Read the full story at New Jersey Magazine.