It's not the news anyone wants to receive. Around five years ago, Sonia Vallabh discovered she was the carrier for a genetic mutation for a disease called genetic prion disease. There is no cure for the condition. The disease is expected to be painful and rapid. Sonia was not expected to live past 50. That meant she and her husband, Eric, only have about 20 years left together. Even so, it's an estimate without any guarantees. What do you do when your biological clock is ticking in a way that is very real? For Eric and Sonia, the only had one option: they both quit their jobs.
Eric worked in transportation technology. Sonia had just graduated from law school. But those careers swiftly ended. With no medical experience or knowledge, only with the help of the internet, the couple began to take night classes in biology. They were later accepted into a Ph.D. program in Harvard. Now, they work as researchers at the Broad Institute. Their only goal? To find a cure for the disease that will take Sonia's life and the lives of 7,000 people each year.
The two are now leading researchers in the field, and while they may not have found a cure, they have found hope. They don't know if this disease can be cured, and while the clock is still ticking, they take solace in knowing every moment is precious.
"I think it's just the miracle of my lifetime that we met. Even if we cure this disease, that will always be the great miracle for me," Sonia told CBS's Steve Hartman.
Please SHARE this touching story with your family and friends on Facebook!
