A beautiful child's life hangs in the balance. She is one of perhaps a thousand in the USA that have a genetic disorder called Mitochondrial Disease. She was believed to have Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy Lactic Acidosis, also known as MELAS.
Her most recent trip to the physician overseeing her care indicates she might have a less fatal strain of the genetic disorder which would allow her to live to the age of 25 rather than six years old. Regardless, the problems these children manifest on a regular basis is all a set of parents can handle and then to consider Katie has a brother.
The story goes like this. Although Kate doesn't need to be treated in Great Britain there is a clinic there actively involved in pursuing a genetic treatment for disorders like Katie's. That clinic has treated children from the USA just in the 'nick' of time and they are getting relief. A young girl in a southern state has received the genetic therapy in Britain. She is growing and mental development is improving. She is off her G-tube and eating regular food. There is every hope by her parents she will have a 'good outcome.' The parents see the genetic relief as a miracle cure.
Indeed.
The treatment received in Britain occurs there because it is outlawed by the USA. It is not an astounding feat. The blood type of the child is matched with that of cord blood of a donor infant in the UK. A simple transplant takes place and the child receives an inject of the matching stem cells in bone marrow. The bone marrow begins to produce normals cells with normal function.
The United States of American is hurting it's children because of a misguided approach to genetic research.
Katie needs a cure, too.
The pharmaceutical companies won't receive not one dollar of profit from Mitochondrial Genetic Cures. Just imagine what they will lose when a cure is found for diabetes?
Could it be that Genetic Research might someday save the world from diseases like Bird Flu? There is that possibility.
As a point of interest. One might notice the 'website' on E-Bay that lead you to a small 'Store Front' is now closed. I listed some collector dolls on there. They were very pricey. I didn't care. They weren't going to be sold for nothing or next to nothing. E-Bay received 49 complaints that the Store Front was a scammer and took down Katie's Store Front. What kind of nonsense is that. The dolls are no longer for open sale. They will be contracted privately. Shame on all of you whom complained ! Your loss. Not ours.
