Daughter’s Diagnosis of Osteogenesis Imperfecta a Perplexing Challenge for Rose Valley Couple

When Kristen Keplinger became pregnant with Baby No. 8, she thought she knew everything she should expect when she was expecting.

Until life tossed in a sad and unexpected twist.

Her baby Laine was born in June 2012 with a rare bone condition, osteogenesis imperfecta, caused by a genetic mutation that affects the body’s production of collagen. Afflicted people have fragile bones that break easily, often without apparent cause.

Keplinger and her husband, Loren, carry a card that says Laine has what’s commonly known as “brittle bone disorder” to counter the common assumption they caused her injuries themselves.

And until last week, Keplinger was fighting with her insurance company, which had denied her request that Laine, now 13 months, receive a bone-strengthening infusion normally given to adults.

“This is my child. I feel strongly about this,” Keplinger said. “She has much greater potential of a higher quality of life if she gets this care, and I’m not changing my position on that.”

At five months pregnant: ‘Something was wrong’

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