Maya’s mom turned to the Rare Genomics Institute (RGI) — essentially Kickstarter for mystery illnesses — which helped her raise money online to sequence Maya’s exome, the sliver of her genome that contains the genes that do most of her cells’ work. Six hours after a fundraising profile was posted with a photo of Maya and a description of the “silly, cuddly girl” who “loves to read books, paint and play with her dog,” a combination of friends, relatives and strangers had raised the $2,500 needed — a subsidized rate Yale had agreed to charge RGI families.

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