Every decision we make, no matter how small, has the potential to create a ripple effect that can change the course of history. The inspiring stories of everyday heroes who have made a profound difference show the importance of choices in making an impact on the world. As we remember newborn screening and the legacy of Dr. Guthrie, we see that one person changed the world because of his choices. And so can you.

I love traveling and meeting others in our PKU community. It’s been the greatest part of my advocacy journey. I love producing videos and I enjoy public speaking, but nothing quite replaces time spent hanging out with friends in the PKU community… just enjoying life together. I missed it so much during the height of the pandemic, and to be back on the road is filling me with indescribable joy. I spent the weekend in Westford, MA at the NECPAD Fall Festival Conference and Annual Apple Picking Extravaganza.

On Saturday night a group of us were sitting at a table having a conversation. In-person conversations are my favorite part of conferences like this. Social media is great, but nothing replaces an in-person, face-to-face conversation.

Anyway, at some point, our conversation shifted from just catching up with each other to a deeper conversation about life… my favorite conversations.

We were talking about the power of choice… how one decision at one moment influences the next in a way you never see coming. And how normal people like you and me can have a profound impact on the world if we understand the power of our choices.

And so I told them the story of my hero… Juan Zuniga.

I met Juan in 2018 when our team at CRM Studios produced a short documentary about him. 5 years ago Juan and his mother were walking out of the restaurant they own when someone tried to rob them. Juan stepped in front of his mother to protect her and he was shot in the chest. He was taken to the Level 1 Trauma Center at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport, our local medical school. He was in the ICU for a long time, but they saved his life.

Juan is a gunshot survivor, and that’s amazing enough. But what makes Juan truly remarkable is that when the community banded together and raised money for him, he gave it back to the medical school. They used that money to buy a mobile version of the machine that saved him.

Fast-forward a few years. This year I produced a documentary for the medical school about a woman who contracted COVID-19. She was 7 months pregnant, was admitted to a hospital in South Louisiana, and was not expected to make it through the night. A doctor at the medical school in North Louisiana took that mobile equipment, got on a helicopter, and brought her back to our area. The team saved her… and saved her baby. Her name is Jamie, and her son’s name is Jace.

Jamie and Jace would not be alive if it were not for Juan Zuniga… A normal person like you and me, who after facing the battle of his life chose to give back to help others. He is a hero in every sense of the word. He is making an impact on the world in ways that can’t be calculated. How many lives will Juan save?

If you’d like, you can watch Jamie’s story below.

I spent a lot of time thinking about the heroes in our PKU community… We are all here because of what has been called one of the greatest public health achievements.

Newborn screening.

2023 marks the 60th anniversary of newborn screening in the United States. Every single one of us in the PKU or metabolic disorder community is the beneficiary of a public health system that’s existed for nearly 60 years… quietly working in the background of society, saving thousands of lives.

Every person who works in the field of newborn screening, in any capacity, is a hero. Physicians, researchers, lab workers, administrators, and communications professionals.

Every single one of them is a hero.

Anyone who steps into the arena, fighting for a great cause on behalf of others, is an advocate and a hero.

And undoubtedly the greatest hero in the newborn screening community is Dr. Robert Guthrie… the inventor of the newborn screening blood spot test. He’s been called “The Father of Newborn Screening.” And he’s a giant in our community.

A legend in every sense of the word.

His daughter, Patricia Guthrie, was here and spoke about his work, his legacy, and also what he was like as a person. As I filmed her speech, I looked around the room at the captivated audience. It was late in the day when attention typically fades at a conference. But everyone was gripped by the stories we heard.

Because they recognized that we are all here because of his lifelong passion and commitment to newborn screening.

If you take it for granted that newborn screening exists, as I did years ago, just remember that one man dedicated his life to saving babies.

His choice changed the world.

Each of us, every single day, has a choice about the kind of person we want to be. It’s easy to think that these choices don’t matter, and get so caught up in the daily grind that you lose sight of the big picture. But I’ve seen in my own life, through the stories I tell at work and in my own story of how I became a PKU and newborn screening advocate, that choices matter.

One choice can change your life. But even better, one choice can change someone else’s life.

One choice can change your life. But even better, one choice can change someone else’s life.

But first, you have to believe in yourself and know that you have something unique to contribute to the world.

You do. You absolutely do.

There is nothing like making an impact on the world just by being yourself.

I’ve been a professional storyteller for over 20 years. I have traveled the world doing this work, and I know this to be true.

Everyone has a story, and it matters.
Everyone has a choice to make about the kind of life they want to live.
And you can have an impact on this world far greater than you can ever imagine.

As we remember newborn screening and the legacy of Dr. Guthrie, don’t ever forget.
One person changed the world because of his choices.
And so can you.