Brave Beginnings – Adenosine deaminase severe combined immunodeficiency (ADA-SCID)

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency is an ultra-rare disease that compromises an individual’s immune system. According to the National Library of Medicine, about 80% of individuals with this illness also have severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), which further weakens their body’s ability to fight infections.

While she was pregnant with twin girls, Shakira discovered she and her husband, Sam, were carriers of ADA-SCID. Furthermore, one of their unborn girls, whom they named Maya, had already contracted the disease.

In Watchung, New Jersey, Shakira and Sam share with Medical Stories their ordeal of raising Maya, who had to be isolated from others for a while after she was born. But despite this enormous burden, they find a way to help Maya overcome the dangers of her weakened immune system.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned expert Morna J. Dorsey, MD, MS, Director, Pediatric Immunology Center, University of California, San Francisco.