My name is Courtney Rivard. My MAGIC story is slightly different than most people’s beginning. In 1985, when I was three years old, my younger sister and I stood eye to eye. We are a year and a half apart, and it caused my parents’ concern. They began questioning my health, and after a few years of stress, at the age of five, a pediatric endocrinologist diagnosed me with Hypothyroidism and Growth Hormone Deficiency and started me on therapy. I was one of the first kids in the country in the study for bioidentical growth hormone therapy. (You can see our long family struggle for diagnosis here: https://www.magicfoundation.org/jamie-harvey/ )

Fast forward to the year 2012. By this time, I am happily married and have 2 amazing sons. They are 14 months apart in age, and because of my medical history, in addition to their regular pediatrician, we also had a pediatric endocrinologist follow their growth. At the age of 8, my youngest son was diagnosed with growth failure and began therapy. One year later, my oldest son was also diagnosed with growth failure.

Today, in 2022, they are 17 and 18 years old. We are so happy that they are both healthy and thriving. They both stand about 5’9 which is spot on for where they should be. They often argue about who’s the tallest, and I just giggle. They are both healthier than they would have been if we had not had the opportunity of growth hormone therapy. My medical history made the choice to put them on therapy simple, and for this, I am lucky.

As an adult, I am considered adult growth hormone deficient. We are a military family and have had to move often, so finding an endocrinologist who has managed adult growth hormone deficient patients has been difficult. I am currently not on treatment. This is a challenge I will continue to face until we finally settle into a home base with medical services near us. But in the meantime, my new journey with MAGIC in a different role begins.

The people who laid the groundwork of MAGIC have created a support system like no other. I am so proud to have been a part of it as a child, a mom of affected children, and now working to help support other families. I know from personal experience how valuable a team of parents and patients can be and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for MAGIC. Please feel free to contact me at courtney@magicfoundation.org and share your stories. I would love to hear from you.