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Woman Races To Stop The Disease That May Kill Her Sonia Vallabh knows that by the time she's middle-aged, a rare inherited disease will likely start killing off her brain cells. She and her husband have become scientists to try to stop the disease.

Health

A Mother's Early Death Drives Her Daughter To Find A Treatment

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A Mother's Early Death Drives Her Daughter To Find A Treatment

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Kamni Vallabh helps her daughter Sonia get ready for her wedding, a few months before Kamni started showing symptoms of the prion disease that would kill her. Courtesy of Sonia Vallabh hide caption

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Courtesy of Sonia Vallabh

Kamni Vallabh helps her daughter Sonia get ready for her wedding, a few months before Kamni started showing symptoms of the prion disease that would kill her.

Courtesy of Sonia Vallabh

Sonia Vallabh saw her mother die at age 52 from a rare disease that causes irreversible brain damage. Then Sonia learned she has inherited the genetic mutation that killed her mother. She and her husband quit their jobs and trained to become scientists. They're now racing against time to come up with a treatment that could save Sonia's life.

Read Sonia's story on NPR's health blog, Shots, and listen to her and Eric on Monday's All Things Considered.