VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — 18-year-old Brogan Wells is nonverbal, but his family believes anyone who meets him instantly understands who he is— energetic, social, and determined to connect with everyone around him.

"He just wants people to come and celebrate something with him," said Brodie Wells, Brogan's dad. "It's such an example to me and his whole family and friends."

But behind the upbeat personality is a complicated medical story that nearly pushed his family to the limit.

Brogan has DYRK1A syndrome, a rare genetic disorder involving a chromosome 21 deletion that affects development and motor function. In addition to being nonverbal, he also had epilepsy. Then, three years ago, he suddenly began losing the ability to walk.

"When there's no diagnosis, then it makes it hard for insuran

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