Life with The Leivas: Exactly what I should be doing

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Exactly what I should be doing

It's 5:37 am at the Leiva house. I've just finished feeding Peter and I'm holding a happy gurgling, cooing little boy. All of a sudden I hear Olivia through the baby monitor: "hi" "morning" "mama" "yayia (this is how Olivia pronounces Olivia)" "baby" "bath" "duck" "H I J K" "4 5 6" "A B C" "bye". And then I hear her falling asleep again. I debated going back to bed for another hour but I decided I'd just hold Peter instead. This is the best way to start the day!

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MPS/Sanfilippo Syndrome

In October, 2008 Olivia was disgnosed with MPS III or Sanfilippo Syndrome, type B. MPS stands for: Mucopolysaccharidoses. It is a genetic lysosomal storage disease (LSD) caused by the body's inability to produce specific enzymes. Normally, the body uses enzymes to break down and recycle materials in cells. In individuals with MPS and related diseases, the missing or insufficient enzyme prevents the proper recycling process, resulting in the storage of materials in virtually every cell of the body. As a result, cells do not perform properly and may cause progressive damage throughout the body, including the heart, bones, joints, respiratory system and central nervous system. While the disease may not be apparent at birth, signs and symptoms develop with age as more cells become damaged by the accumulation of cell materials.

Babies and young children with Sanfilippo Syndrome appear normal, but symptoms begin to appear with age as more and GAGs build up in the cells of the body. There are 3 stages to the disease. Stage 1 the child begins to lag behind peers and begins to display difficult behaviors. Stage 2 the child losing his/her language, becomes hyperactive, chews on everything, and has sleeping difficulties. Stage 3 the child slows down, becomes dependant for all mobility and loses the ability to chew/swallow. There is no treatment or cure for Sanfilippo. Life expectancy varies.