Life with The Leivas

Monday, November 26, 2012

Stationery card

Surrounded With Love Holiday Card

Turn family photos into holiday cards at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Sleeping?

This is what I found when I went into Peter's room...guess what movie he watched this weekend:)

Friday, July 13, 2012

"If you had had a nickel for every nickel that he has, you would have a lot of nickels.”
Albert Einstein

How did I miss the redesign of the nickel? I remember the quarter redesign with the stated being such a big deal. How did this one slip past me? I think I saw a new penny the other day, I'll have to be on the look out for that.

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.