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Watch One in a Million

By the time Tyler turned 10, he lost his ability to walk, see, and hear, but the cause remained a mystery. His family eventually turned to University of Utah Health, where scientists searched Tyler’s DNA for clues to his condition. What they discovered led to a life-changing treatment.

University of Utah Health is proud to present One in a Million, a documentary of Tyler’s incredible journey premiering at a sponsored event during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Watch the 8-minute short film using the video player below.

Award-Winning Story with Impact

One in a Million has been showcased in ten film festivals across the U.S. and has won ten awards, including gold in the Telly, CASE and Ragan’s PR awards and “Best in Show” in the Association of American Medical Colleges GIA Awards for Excellence.

An unexpected outcome of One in a Million was that it was used to help make the case for Utah legislation, informally called “Marley and Tyler’s Bill”, named in part after the boy featured in the film. The bill passed, creating a gift of hope for families in Utah by expanding insurance coverage for the genomic testing that is needed to diagnose children with undiagnosed diseases.

Behind the Scenes

Photo credit: Emily Mkrtichian

Two acclaimed filmmakers and award-winning Sundance Institute veterans traveled to Utah to document Tyler’s story. Filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar also directed We the Animals, which premiered at the Sundance Festival in 2018. Ross Kauffman is the Academy Award®-winning filmmaker of the documentary Born into Brothels and Tigerland, the latter an official selection in the 2019 Sundance Film festival. One in a Million was co-produced by award-winning documentarian Geralyn Dreyfous, the Kahlert Foundation and University of Utah Health.

The Science Behind the Story

Penelope Program

University of Utah Health's Penelope Program for rare and undiagnosed diseases is dedicated to solving some of the country’s most complex medical cases.

Center for Genomic Medicine

The Center for Genomic Medicine is rewriting the DNA of clinical care by using information encoded within each person’s genome to inform their health care in a more personalized way.

Support Undiagnosed and Rare Disease Research

Stories like Tyler's would not be possible without research and advances in science and medicine. Your generous donation to the Center for Genomic Medicine at University of Utah Health will support rare and undiagnosed disease research and will not only help find answers for patients and their families, but will also go toward developing new treatments, and maybe even cures.