In this podcast episode for the 2025 Advocacy Series, IFOPA Family Services Coordinator, Melissa Davis, speaks with FOP Community Member Kathy Ford and Rare Disease advocate Kerri Engbrecht on the importance of connecting with local first responders and preparing for an emergency. 

Kathy Ford is a 39-year-old resident of South Jersey who has been employed as a local emergency dispatcher. As a person living with a rare disease called Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva, she understands the importance of being prepared as best as possible for emergencies. 

Kerri Engebrecht is Executive Director of Adrenal Insufficiency United and Tennessee's Community Engagement Ambassador for NORD's Rare Action Network. She is mom to a son with Addison's Disease, her father has Frontotemporal Dementia and she advocates for all with rare disease and their caregivers.