Leah Yoder has known the Clinic for Special Children for most of her life. As a little girl, she remembers tagging along with her siblings to their appointments at our original Strasburg location. Nearly two decades later, when Leah was expecting her first child, a daughter named Denna, she was grateful to be already familiar with the Clinic.

“My husband and I knew we wanted to have the Plain Insight Panel™ carrier testing done before having Denna,” Leah shares. “We were aware of certain rare genetic disorders on both sides of our families, and we found out we were both carriers for glutaric acidemia type 1 (GA-1). Having that information ahead of time allowed us to be prepared for Denna’s arrival.” GA-1 is a rare metabolic disorder that, without treatment, can cause permanent brain injury from the buildup of specific amino acids that the body can’t process properly.

While Leah was in the hospital awaiting Denna’s birth, the Clinic team brought special formula for babies with GA-1 directly to their hospital room so she could begin a specialized diet immediately in case she had GA-1.

After Denna was born, the Clinic’s on-call laboratory team ran diagnostic testing and confirmed her GA-1 diagnosis on the same day. A few days later, Leah and her husband, Ben, brought Denna to the Clinic in Gordonville for her first visit. There, our doctors carefully explained how to care for Denna and manage her specialized diet.

Although much has changed at the Clinic since Leah’s childhood visits, some things have remained the same. “One thing that was very helpful was already knowing people at the Clinic before I personally needed your services for my daughter,” Leah says. “I’ve known Christine, a Clinic nurse and Outreach Program Manager, for as long as I can remember. Our families have visited each other, and she’s always stayed in touch, even sending Christmas cards. It was reassuring to know she was helping care for Denna.”

In addition to providing deeply personal care, the Clinic has also made care more accessible for Leah’s family. In 2019, we established an outreach clinic in Mifflinburg, where our team sees patients for non-urgent visits closer to home. One day a month, clinicians, including Drs. Vincent Carson and Julia Goroff, travel to Mifflinburg to care for families.

“It’s been incredibly helpful to have Denna seen in Mifflinburg,” Leah explains. “It’s about half the drive compared to Lancaster, and since we have to pay for a driver, it saves us a lot in transportation costs. The team can even take blood samples there and will call us with any necessary diet changes, then mail us a copy. Dr. Julia Goroff has been especially helpful in managing Denna’s care through the outreach clinic.”

Today, Denna is almost two years old. She is a happy little girl who loves animals, enjoys playing with her toys, and delights in spending time with horses and puppies. She has met all of her developmental milestones and often greets our team with bright smiles during her visits.

(Pictured on right: the Clinic team at a Mifflinburg outreach clinic)