Life with The Leivas: Shout out to my sister

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Shout out to my sister

My sister, Karen, makes the most amazing birthday cakes. My two nephews are some lucky boys, there's nothing more special than having a a custom cake made just for you. It was my sister's idea to decorate Peter's birthday cake with goldfish. Recently she made this fantastic creation for my nephew Braden's 4th birthday.

My nephew Hunter's 3rd birthday was earlier this week and she made this masterpiece!

How cute is that! I love that she filled the truck bed with strawberries! I'm so impressed with her creativity!

1 comment:

Wendy Leiva said...: Love the truck! Makes me think of Cake Boss on TLC that I am actually watching right now!; Thursday, December 03, 2009 5:34:00 PM

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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.