Today, February 28, 2023, is Rare Disease Day. It feels fitting to also have this date mark the launch of the Welcomed Co™ blog. 

Welcomed Co™, as our name suggests, is all about welcoming and helping others. We’re a lifestyle brand that reframes accessibility and inclusivity for all. We create and curate beautiful, adaptive products that make beautiful moments possible during every stage of life.

Join us here for regular posts where we share uplifting personal stories, encouraging products and assistive technology, fascinating research studies, useful expert input, insightful ideas for transforming spaces, and so much more. 

The leader of Welcomed Co™ is Cristina Casanova Might. Mother of three, industrial designer, and patient advocate.

Today and for the rest of the week in recognition of Rare Disease Day, Cristina is in Washington, D.C. as a rare disease advocate for equity in all aspects, including access to diagnosis and treatment. “A diagnosis can be very powerful,” she says. As part of her work, Cristina speaks with legislators on behalf of patients, families, and caregivers.

Cristina didn’t plan to be an advocate. In fact, she planned to be an industrial designer. Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Cristina grew up in Augusta, Georgia and earned a degree from Georgia Tech. She embarked upon a career in that field, which subsequently led to her work in tech start-ups, more than 20 years ago. 

Then in 2007, Cristina had her first child, a son named Bertrand, nicknamed “Buddy.” Early in his life, Buddy began exhibiting signs of developmental delays, followed by seizures and other medical concerns. It took years to get a diagnosis for Buddy; when it finally did happen, he was the first person diagnosed with his neurodegenerative disorder, NGLY1. Now more than 100 patients around the world have received the same diagnosis. 

Cristina left her career to focus on Buddy’s care, and that new role included advocacy—for Buddy and others like him with undiagnosed conditions and rare diseases. She knows what it’s like to care for a child with a disability—and to live with a disability herself. In 2019, Cristina started experiencing alarming symptoms, including double vision and muscle weakness, and was diagnosed in February 2020 with an autoimmune condition called myasthenia gravis.

“It’s very different to go from being an advocate for your child to having to advocate for yourself,” says Cristina. “My challenges are very different from my son’s, but it didn’t stop me from caring for him and continuing to work to help others. It did open my eyes to a great deal of privilege that I’d had up until that point.”

Buddy passed away in October 2020 at the age of 12. “He managed to accomplish a great deal without ever being able to say a word,” says Cristina. “He moved mountains in a short amount of time.” Now, Cristina works to honor Buddy’s memory every single day by advocating for others like him. She has made it her life’s work to help people. And that’s exactly what she hopes to do at Welcomed Co™ Join us. 

Learn more about Cristina Casanova Might and Welcomed Co™.