Hannah was a perfect little girl who developed normally for 18 months. Then her development slowed and her acquired skills started to deteriorate. She was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome just before she turned 3. She will never be able to speak, read or write; her hand function has already deteriorated; her mobility has already decreased. Every day is a watching and waiting game: a grieving for what she never learned to do; a cautious celebration of what she can do today and a terror of what she may not do tomorrow.
Imagine the symptoms of autism, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's, epilepsy, and anxiety disorders…all in one little girl. That's Rett. Every five hours a girl is born with Rett syndrome. She will appear to develop normally for 12-18 months, but then the symptoms of Rett will start to appear, including:
• Loss of skills, including mobility, speech and hand function
• Disordered breathing
• Difficulty eating, chewing , swallowing and digesting
• Scoliosis, fragile bones and other orthopaedic abnormalities
• Disrupted sleep patterns and apnea
• Extreme anxiety and frustration
• Epilepsy or seizures
• Impaired cardiac and circulatory function
• Parkinson-like tremors and repetitive hand movements
• Sudden and unexplained death
Rett Syndrome has been cured in mice, it is time to cure our girls. Be part of finding this cure.
See http://www.reverserett.org.uk for further details.
