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Kokomo woman shares story of rare bone disease

KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) — Osteogenesis imperfecta, more commonly known as brittle bone disease, is a rare bone disease.

The disease impacts between 25,000 and 50,000 people in the United States, according to the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation.

The main distinction for OI is fragile bones, but it can also impact other parts of the body.

Holly DeWitt was born with brittle bone disease and has suffered from many broken bones throughout the years.

“Probably two or three dozen. You kind of lose track after a time and I quit counting the actual fractures,” said DeWitt of her broken bones.

Because of the disease, she deals with chronic pain, goes through pain management and takes pain medicine regularly.

DeWitt is the third person in her family to have brittle bone disease. It is inherited, and there is no cure.

Her mother passed away last October.

Doctors say most people with the disease live long enough to have children but those who want to start a family should go through genetic counseling prior to getting pregnant. That way the parents can anticipate who in the family will get the disease.

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