This story is about physicians and patients at the Stanford Center for Undiagnosed Diseases, which is one of a dozen sites that make up the innovative nationwide Undiagnosed Diseases Network. The UDN is the last stop for patients and families whose mysterious medical symptoms have launched them on anguishing diagnostic odysseys, sometimes for years. It brings cutting-edge expertise and diagnostics to bear on some of the most complex, inexplicable disorders facing medicine today, resulting in the furthering of research, the development of treatments, the formation of rare-disease communities, and the relief that comes from having greater certainty and knowledge about one's condition—or the condition of one's child. In the story, readers meet four children and their families, as well as three Stanford physicians who care for them, as they finally get some answers—or, in one case, don't.
From the Judges
Great writing that unpacks a complex topic in a human interest feature. The extensive interviews and background reporting shows in the details and storytelling.
