Girl with Mystery Illness

MYFOXNY.COM - Paige Bourhill was born on August 4, 2005, and was perfectly healthy. But at 10 months, Paige came down with her very first cold, had a seizure, and was never the same. Her parents have taken her to countless doctors at Hackensack Medical Center, Columbia New York, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, NYU Medical Center, and Mt. Sinai, but can't get answers. You can follow Paige's progress here:

>A PROMISE FOR PAIGE

Some patients wait years for a definitive diagnosis to their uncommon illness, according to federal health officials. The National Institutes of Health's Undiagnosed Diseases Program pursues two goals:

--To provide answers to patients with mysterious conditions that have long eluded diagnosis

--To advance medical knowledge about rare and common diseases

The NIH Web site says that "any longstanding medical condition that eludes diagnosis by a referring physician can be considered undiagnosed and may be of interest to this clinical research program." However, the agency notes that a "very limited number" of cases will be invited to join the study.

For more information, call (866) 444-8806 and log on to:

>NIH UNDIAGNOSED DISEASES PROGRAM