![\"Asha](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Asha-Dore-headshot-by-Gritchelle-Fallegson.jpg\")
Asha Dore. Photo by Gritchelle Fallegson<\/p>\n
The truth is, there\u2019s no single secret that guarantees your pitch will land. In my experience, getting a \u201cyes\u201d from an editor is often a mix of good timing, the right connection and, of course, a captivating idea<\/a> you\u2019re uniquely equipped to write.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some of my winners have been just a few breezy sentences, others have been many paragraphs with multiple interviews. Some writers begin with their credentials, others launch right into their suggested headline. You might endure weeks of back and forth before a green light \u2014 or receive a contract<\/a> the same day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n So in this new series, I\u2019m asking fellow freelance journalists to share the exact pitch that yielded an assignment and to talk us through why they think it worked. We\u2019ll go behind the scenes of a shiny byline to learn how and where it all began.\u00a0<\/p>\n First, I talked to Asha Dore<\/a>, a journalist and illustrator in Seattle, about the origins of \u201cMy daughter\u2019s health was a mystery. The answer was on the other side of the world.<\/a>\u201d The first-person reported feature was published in the Guardian last month after Dore pitched it to an editor she\u2019d met briefly during a virtual panel.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s Asha\u2019s pitch:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Dear [editor],\u00a0<\/p>\n You were great in Sue\u2019s class, and I hope you\u2019ll consider my reported personal essay, \u201cHow Social Media Moms Discovered a Rare Genetic Disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n My daughter was born with bent knees, bent elbows, and \u201crocker bottom feet,\u201d but even after extensive genetic testing in the NICU of a respected Children\u2019s hospital, nobody had answers. It took me two months searching the internet for pictures of babies like her to find an old medical atlas and subsequently connect with Shriners in Philadelphia \u2014 which hosted the only clinic in the country with evidence-based treatment for this Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (commonly called AMC) \u2014 an umbrella diagnosis for babies born with multiple joint contractures or bones that are stuck straight or stuck bent.\u00a0<\/p>\n The parents, usually mothers, who sat in the waiting room from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. on clinic days became close, fast, and eventually started a social media group. Over five years, a few of us started to notice very specific symptoms in our kids. Eventually, me and three other moms connected with doctors and a geneticist and identified the rare genetic disorder that connects us all<\/a>.<\/p>\n In this article, I\u2019d tell the story of my own experience while featuring the two major players (and mothers) who pushed for genetic testing in Delaware and Dubai. I\u2019ll talk to two doctors about how they use parent-collected data to help treat kids with this subtype of AMC. I\u2019ll also connect with the geneticist who identified the gene and another researcher who leverages information from social media to identify rare disorders.<\/p>\n Every doctor and researcher I\u2019ve spoken with has emphasized the value and power of the seemingly anecdotal data collection from parents. As we learn more about how our kids respond to treatment, we can help prevent unnecessary and problematic surgeries and increase awareness around rare disorders \u2014 and trust of parents\u2019 knowledge and reports.<\/p>\n Thank you for considering this piece. I have recent clips in The Cut<\/a>, The Today Show<\/a>, and Slate<\/a><\/p>\n Warmly,<\/p>\n