Life with The Leivas: Organizational Day

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Organizational Day

A couple of weeks ago Mike's unit here at Ft. Bragg had an Organizational Day for the families. Olivia had school but Peter had a blast and we were able to learn a little more about what Mike does everyday!

They had one of their M777 155 Howitzer Guns on display. Peter was quite confident that he knew exactly what to do!

Mike's unit now is the ONLY Airborne 155 MM Battalion in the world. They throw these guns out of the plane and then they jump out of the plane after.

Later on in the day they shot several rounds from this big gun but it was so loud! I was too busy trying to protect Peter from permanent hearing damage that I wasn't able to take pictures of that excitement.

Mike showed Peter how to work the MK19 Grenade launcher.

I got to shoot an M4 rifle.

Mike took Peter for a ride in his Humvee.

All in all it was a fun day. It was interesting to learn more about what Mike does.

1 comment:

Brandy said...: The M-4 is my absolute favorite to shoot. I told Jeremy that is what I want for Christmas. Ha Great pictures!; Monday, November 08, 2010 3:04:00 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.