Life with The Leivas: Playdate

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Playdate

Olivia had a playdate the other day with her friend Wesley who is about a year older than she is. Olivia and Wesley seemed to have a great time. Olivia is very into taking her clothes off and on now that we've started potty training. By the end of the night I was so tired of putting her clothes back on that I just gave up and let her run around naked. They both had a great time running laps around the house while holding hands, pushing eachother in a laundry basket that Wesley decided was a boat and driving eachother on Olivia's car. I'm sure that one day Olivia will not be to happy that I posted these pictures for the world to see but they are both so stinkin' cute that I had to share!

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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.