Manufacturing My Miracle

Who lives? Who dies? Who decides? One woman's quest to save her family from a rare hereditary disorder and what it means for our collective genetic future
Jill Dopf Viles's genetic detective story takes readers on an extraordinary journey of scientific discovery, personal determination, and bioethical debate. From childhood, Jill knew her body was different - her muscles were weak, her tendons tight, and her body fat nearly absent. When doctors failed to diagnose her condition, she became her own researcher, diving deep into genetics in her search for answers.
Nearly thirty years ago, Jill Viles navigated an underground blood draw and genetic study with a team of Italian scientists to solve the medical mystery that plagued her family for generations. Her relentless pursuit of answers led to astonishing discoveries, including an unexpected genetic link to Olympic hurdler, Priscilla Lopes Schliep. While Jill battles a rare form of muscular dystrophy, Priscilla's mutation, in the same gene, enhances her athleticism. Their connection, highlighted on This American Life, is just one of the many remarkable stories in this book.
As the cost of "once and done" gene therapy skyrockets--reaching an astounding $4.25 million per treatment - Jill realizes the urgency of her pursuit. She doesn't have time to wait for pharmaceutical companies to take an interest in her ultra-rare condition. Instead, she uses her own biochemical acumen to manufacture a personalized gene therapy for just $1,050.
Viles explores urgent questions such as: Who deserves access to life-giving treatments? What role should profit play in healthcare? Who is ultimately responsible for payment-private health insurers, the government, or the patient? As Jill stores her self-designed viral vector in her rural Iowa kitchen, beside her ground beef and frozen waffles, she faces the most looming question of all: should she risk her own health to save her beloved family members who share the same genetic diagnosis by testing out the genetic therapy on herself?

Jill Dopf Viles (1974-2025) pursued her B.S at Drake and Iowa State University in the field of biology/genetics. Viles's researching scientific clinical literature resulted in self-diagnosing herself and her father with Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD). She later received a master's in creative writing from Iowa State University and was an annual attendee of the University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival. In the course of researching her book Manufacturing My Miracle on her family's rare muscle disorder, she collaborated with scientists at the University of Iowa performing gene therapy on mutant fruit flies. Her writing appeared in Johns Hopkins Magazine, and her scientific work was published in medical journals Gene, Cells, and Science Advances.