Why Rick Guidotti turned his back on Cindy Crawford to challenge our perceptions of genetic diseases

Previously in the business of snapping supermodels, a chance meeting at a bus stop made this fashion photographer look again at young people affected visibly by genetic disease.

My husband, Andrew Marr, had a stroke. Now I know it could happen to anybody

Strokes among men aged 40 to 54 have rocketed in 15 years, yet the resources available to treat and rehabilitate are painfully scarce. This must change

Autism and ill health: how to spot the subtle signs that something is wrong

People with autism and learning disabilities can die up to 20 years prematurely. So how can we help carers and health workers diagnose illness in non-verbal patients?

Lucy Glennon: what her life tells us about the real effects of cuts for disabled people

The writer and disability activist has died at the age of 29, having faced the excruciating pain of her condition with bravery and humour. But she also had first-hand experience of how welfare rules are making life tougher for the most vulnerable

Farewell Lucy Glennon. A brilliant writer, campaigner and ‘total badass’

Lucy had the rare skin condition epidermolysis bullosa, but she never let it quell her anarchic spirit. Please do share your memories in the thread below

‘I spent my life believing I had cerebral palsy’

Harriet Sherwood: When David Hayes was five, a doctor told his mother he was brain-damaged. He proved the doctor wrong, going on to become vice-chair of Scope. But only recently did he discover he had been misdiagnosed …

A glimmer of hope for children facing blindness

The families of 21 children are raising money to speed up research into a rare form of retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that is robbing their kids of sight. David Bradford reports

Parenting without legs: a leap of confidence

Richard Pollins: Being born with no legs meant even daily activities such as climbing stairs and using escalators were initially daunting. But then came a new challenge – coping with a baby

How magic tricks help children with cerebral palsy

For children with hemiplegia, a common form of cerebral palsy, learning to be a magician is remarkably effective therapy. Paula Cocozza reports from the Breathe Magic summer camp

My thalidomide family: Every time I went home I was a stranger

Louise Medus was one of the last babies born with the effects of the drug thalidomide. Brought up in a residential home from infancy, She’s had to fight to overcome her tough start in life and build a family life of her own

OurChemist

Our Chemist – Health