It's a question I get asked almost every day. But it's a loaded question with no easy answer. I was 8 years old when I lost my leg, but my story doesn't begin or end there. I was only 9 months old the first time I developed Spinal Meningitis. That was only the first of over 100 hospitalizations. I have been a research patient at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland for 25 years. Scientists there have discovered I am the only person in the world to have my exact Genetic Mutation. But that discovery didn't happen overnight. It took over 20 years. My journey along the way to my diagnosis is the real story. It's rare, because my life is unique. My name is Mandy, and this is my story...