MSI Press Blog

Most people haven’t heard of CHARGE Syndrome (including doctors who say, "This is my first patient with CHARGE")— and that’s part of the challenge. CHARGE syndrome is a rare genetic condition , affecting roughly 1 in 10,000 births . It’s complex, lifelong, and looks different for every person who has it. The name CHARGE comes from a pattern of medical features that can include differences in the heart, hearing, vision, breathing, growth, balance, and development . Because CHARGE is so rare, finding knowledgeable medical support can be incredibly hard — especially for families living in rural or remote areas . Many parents spend years educating doctors, coordinating dozens of specialists, and traveling long distances just to access basic care. Finding trained caregivers, therapists, or educators who truly understand CHARGE can feel nearly impossible. And CHARGE doesn’t end with childhood. Across a lifetime, individuals with CHARGE may face: Multiple surgeries and ong...

  CB Leaver with Happy Cat There are reasons that people and cats bond so easily (generally). Here are some evolutionary traits that endear cats to humans: 😺 1. Neotenous (juvenile-like) features Cats retain kitten-like traits into adulthood—big eyes, round faces, small noses, soft fur. Humans are biologically wired to respond to “baby schema,” which triggers caregiving behavior. This is not unique to cats, but cats hit the sweet spot: cute, small, non-threatening, and expressive. Why it matters: Humans instinctively interpret these features as “cute,” “vulnerable,” and “worth caring for.” 🧬 2. Genetic and biological similarity to humans Cats share about 90% of their DNA with humans , and many of their biological systems parallel ours. This doesn’t mean we’re closely related—but it does mean their behavior, communication, and emotional expressions fall into ranges humans intuitively understand. Why it matters: We can read cats more easily than we can read many other a...

  Today, October 17, is a day that brings back memories. Every year.  On October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m., the earth beneath Northern California gave a violent shudder. The Loma Prieta earthquake , registering a magnitude of 6.9, struck the Santa Cruz Mountains and rippled outward with devastating force. It collapsed sections of the Bay Bridge, pancaked a freeway in Oakland, and silenced the World Series mid-game. Sixty-three lives were lost, thousands injured, and entire neighborhoods reshaped in seconds. For many, it was a day of tragedy. For my family, it was also our first real “hello” from California. We had just moved west from Arlington, Virginia, where I’d been working for the U.S. Department of State. Our family was scattered across the Monterey Peninsula that afternoon—each of us about to learn what it meant to live on fault lines. I was at the Presidio of Monterey, mid-conversation with a calm, collected Army officer. He would later retire and become a lawyer, but...