Life with The Leivas: Day +19, A Quick Update

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Day +19, A Quick Update

Olivia is finally starting to feel a little bit better. The change is very subtle but it is there! She smiled a little more today, we left her room and went to bingo and music therapy. She even stood up for a little bit and I pushed her around the hall in a toy ride-on car. Her white blood count is up to .7 and her ANC is 448. Hopefully this trend continues!

In other news Aiden left the hospital today! We're so happy for him! Of course we're also very hopeful that we will be joining him out in the real world very soon but we're taking it one day at a time.

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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.