Meet Jared Connor. He is two years old. Jared has been diagnosed
with a rare disease. He has Sanfilippo Syndrome. Children with
Sanfilippo are missing an essential enzyme that breaks down a
complex body sugar called heparin sulfate. These sugars slowly build
up in the brain, stopping normal development and causing hyperactivity,
sleep disorders, loss of speech, dementia and typically death before
adulthood. Other complications include blindness, seizures, mental
retardation and progressive neurological disease leading to becoming
wheelchair bound and the inability to care for oneself.
There is no cure …. yet.
The disease is unknowingly passed on by parents who are carriers of the
gene. Right now doctors can do little to treat Sanfilippo’s symptoms and
nothing to stop the regression. There are various experimental treatments
being testedworldwide to lessen the effects of this terrible disease.
Though insurance may cover much of Jared’s medical care and doctor visits,
many other experimental treatments, vitamins and dietary needs are not
covered. While some money raised will be applied to these unpaid medical
expenses, donations will also be used to fund medical research. Rare diseases
such as this one currently get LITTLE if ANY monetary support, and therefore
any hope for a cure is in our hands.
Please browse our web site for more information on this disease and how you
can make donations. Thank you for visiting |
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