Nachum welcomed Tara Schimmel and Dr. Berish Rubin to this morning’s JM in the AM to shed some light on Familial Dysautonomia (FD) and preview the 15th Annual FD NOW Dinner – A David Z. Herman Memorial. The dinner will be taking place on Thursday, May 18 at The Sephardic Temple in Cedarhurst, NY. “Familial Dysautonomia is a rare, life-threatening, genetic, neurologic disease present at birth. Familial means the condition is inherited. Dysautonomia (pronounced “dis-aw-tuh-noh-mee-uh”) means a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls automatic body functions, such as breathing, digestion and circulation. People with FD have an impaired autonomic nervous system, rendering each breath, swallow and heartbeat undependable and erratic. They are prone to wide swings in blood pressure and to life-threatening autonomic crisis. Those with FD live in unstable, unreliable bodies.”