Imagine your child hasn’t slept for several nights and is increasingly agitated. You realize you need help and go to the Emergency Department. You explain to the doctor that your child has a rare condition and reacts differently to medications, but the doctor is determined to go with a treatment plan that you know will make things worse. What do you do to get your message heard? 

 

Your caregiver didn’t show up, and you need to go to the grocery store, which can be difficult for your child. Sure enough, a few moments into shopping, the crowd, music, and lights trigger a seizure in your child. You lay your child on the floor to help them as someone points their phone at you and starts filming. You are speechless and busy timing the seizure.  How can you explain what is happening?

 

You’re at the playground. Your child is so happy to be there! They flap their arms and jump up and down with a yell of elation, louder than the other children there. You hear whispers. Some parents are staring. You can hear a mother telling their child, “Look away. Don’t stare.” How will you encourage other children to interact with yours? 

 

That’s where our cards come in. Each one is designed for specific situations.  The codes, when viewed through your phone’s camera, immediately connect to important information such as medical protocols and clinical information for doctors; as well as information about Phelan-McDermid syndrome for people you meet in public with welcoming language to build bridges instead of stares.