Michelle Leeker is the mother of Trevor Leeker (Krabbe Disease), Kansas Newborn Screening Advisory Council member, and Baby’s First Test 2013 Consumer Task Force Member. In an effort to raise newborn screening awareness, she recently gave a presentation to her 3rd grade class and a group of high school students. She shared a slideshow along with the SBTS newborn screening video “One Foot At A Time.” Her overall goal was to educate younger members of the population on what newborn screening is, why it’s done, and its importance.
Her initial plans were to present specifically on Krabbe, but she decided that sharing about newborn screening’s benefits for all screenable disorders was important. To her pleasant surprise, her third grade students were very engaged and interested in the presentation and information. They asked great questions, and continued to express interest the next day! Her high school class was equally interested and even assisted her in re-wording parts of her presentation to make it even easier to understand. She sent the revised presentation to the Kansas Newborn Screening Advisory Council for further review and edits, with her end goal being to share it with other high school science teachers in her area so that they can share the information with their students.
Michelle is a wonderful advocate for Krabbe and newborn screening awareness, and we applaud her for taking the time to educate young people on the importance of newborn screening so that they are more aware and informed as they set out into the world and start their own families. Thank you, Michelle!
Blog posts are written by both Save Babies Through Screening Foundation representatives and others not officially affiliated with the foundation. Posts do not necessarily reflect the views of SBTS. Posts are not medical advice. Please talk to your physician.