COLUMBUS, Ohio — The National Institutes of Health invests more than $1 billion in Ohio medical research every year , supporting work that fuels breakthroughs in cancer, gene therapy, rare diseases, and more.

But under the proposed 2026 federal budget, that critical pipeline of science funding is at risk of being cut — a shift that doctors warn could slow or even halt lifesaving progress.

For people living with rare and devastating diseases, the impact of such cuts isn't abstract — it's personal, and for one Northeast Ohio family, it hits especially close to home.

Meet Connor Adams, a 19-year-old Ohio State University student from Shaker Heights. Connor is living with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy , a rare genetic disorder that typically steals a child's ability to walk by their e

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