Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Hi! I'm back again, sorry for not posting since november.
Today my mother punished me without my phone so I thought today could be a good day to post something about a subject I learned recently.
It's called Muscular Dystrophy. Maybe you never heard about it. We are studying it in my class...
there are some different types.
-Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (the most common and the most dangerous)
-Becker Muscular Dystrophy
-Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
-Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy
among others...
The Muscular Dystrophy is a set of genetic diseases that cause progressive weakness and muscle degeneration as time goes by. These disorders can vary depending on the age, of the gravity and the affected muscles. The most of this patiens will lose their ability to walk, and as time goes by, their ability to move.
Some types of muscular dystrophy, like the Duchenne, will affect the heart and the brain among other organs, because they are also muscles.
Muscular dystrophy is not contagious, it is a genetic disorder which you are born with that generally is suffered by boys.
Studying this subject made me think a lot about what kind of live these people have, I learned a lot about this horrible disease and what it feels like to lose little by little your life's abilities. Children who are born with DMD may look like healthy children, the sympthoms don't manifest until they are 3 or 4, and from there, everything start to go down. Around 9 years old they can not walk anymore and they would use a wheelchair, at 12 years old they may have more difficulties to move and do their life's daily tasks. By 15 years old they can hardly take their hand to their mouth...
Their life expectancy is around 30-35 years old, but thanks to the medical advances and a good treatment their life expectancy could increase and have a better life quality.
Some months before I knew about DMD I watched the video of a Chinesse boy who had this disease, and lived in an orphanage in Wenzhou. His name is Walsh, and he took my heart.
I could see how he lost his ability to walk due to the progressive disease, and remained in a wheelchair. He recives no treatment.
When I started studying the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy I couldn't stop thining of him, and I searched in Reece's Rainbow more profiles of children who suffered DMD.
The faces I saw were...
Jerome
Boy, born May 2009.
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
He is in Latin America, waiting for a family while he suffers alone the disease. There's nothing wrote about him in his profile, just his date of birth and his condition. He's been listed since 2015.
Please, take a look to his profile, if you can't adopt take the time to learn about him and share his profile so more possible families can see him. https://reecesrainbow.org/102226/jerome
Kevin
Boy, born March 2007.
Muscular Dystrophy.
Kevin's story is so sad. He arrived to the orphanage when he was 4 years old, scared, lonely and confused. He appeared to be in good health overall. Time later he was sent to the U.S with a family as a part of an agency's host program, at that time he was active and healthy-looking, but when he arrived to his orphanage his health started to decline. He couldn't walk long distances without falling, and needed constant help to go to the toilet, and getting up from the floor. He can only eat soft foods that are asy to chew.
He has experienced many traumas in his short life, but he has remained a positive outlook. Now he is living in a foster home in his orphanage and he takes care of youngest children. Kevin needs a forever family, someone to trust in, who provides him the care and treatment he needs. https://reecesrainbow.org/100975/kevin-3
Bobby
Boy, born December 2011.
Progressive Muscular Dystrophy.
Bobby is in a steriod regime and can walk, run and jump. There are not seen a negative impact on his physical development. He is an active child, he enjoys playing with blocks and cars, he loves music too. He likes playing outside and laughing with other children. Bobby has good self care skills, he can feed himslelf, dress and undress and sometimes he helps the other children. His caretakers are very fond of him.
Bobby is waiting for a family to call his own who can help him access to the treatment he needs.
https://reecesrainbow.org/91352/bobby-2
Emerson
Boy, born October 2011.
Progressive Muscular Dystrophy.
Emerson is a shy, quiet and lovely boy. Thought he is a little introverted around strangers, he's quite lively once he is in a familiar envoirment. Due to some problems, he was tested for Muscular Dystrophy and was found possitive. Currently they don't see any symptoms of the MD, he can sit, crawl, and walk while holding into something. He also shows fine motor skills, he can scribble with a pen, pick up small objects and feed himself. He understands simple instructions and imitates simple words like "mom" or "dad".
Emerson is waiting for a famly who can provide him all he needs, could you help him?
https://reecesrainbow.org/83430/emerson
Zach
Boy, born July 2008.
Progressive Muscular Dystrophy.
Zach is a joyul and cheerful child with an infectious smile. He is good in interacting with other children and likes playing with cars, dolls and animals. He enjoys playing pretending games, and is a smart boy with a good memory. He was hosted in a family in December 2014 and they can say many possitive things about him. By that time he was 6 years old and he adapted very well to the family life. He likes to show he can take on big-kid responsabilities, he is good in maintaining routines.
He was able to walk normally, except that he has to be more careful in negotiating uneven surfaces, works harder to get up from the floor, and will need help to getting into higher places.
He doesn't let this slow him down, he accepts help from adults and sometimes he wants to show he is able to do things alone. He enjoys being held, cuddled and paid attention to.
He needs a loving family who can provide him the medical care he needs. He loves being a part of a family.
https://reecesrainbow.org/56043/zach
All these kids are facing the hard reality of the Muscular Dystrophy and they're all alone, without someone who guide them and love them. Some of them have not showed any sympthoms yet, and this stage is a good moment to start the physical theraphy to help them slow down the symptoms. They live in an ervoinment with little resources and this could disserve them.
If you would like to know more about this kids you can click on the link I posted in their profiles, If you'd like to know more about Walsh you can visit the facebook page Children's House International or email nina.t@chiadopt.org
There is a fundation called Duchenne Parent Project that provides psychosocial support to people affected by Muscular Dystrophy and their families. It's an association at an international level that also works hard to help the research and to raise awarness, they have many resources that can help people and also they help you to get in contact to more families who are struggling the same.
If you can't adopt you can donate, if you can't donate you can share, and if you can't share you can tell people about them. We can do something within our possibilities.
Thank you for reading, share donate and love :)
Kevin
Boy, born March 2007.Muscular Dystrophy.
Kevin's story is so sad. He arrived to the orphanage when he was 4 years old, scared, lonely and confused. He appeared to be in good health overall. Time later he was sent to the U.S with a family as a part of an agency's host program, at that time he was active and healthy-looking, but when he arrived to his orphanage his health started to decline. He couldn't walk long distances without falling, and needed constant help to go to the toilet, and getting up from the floor. He can only eat soft foods that are asy to chew.
He has experienced many traumas in his short life, but he has remained a positive outlook. Now he is living in a foster home in his orphanage and he takes care of youngest children. Kevin needs a forever family, someone to trust in, who provides him the care and treatment he needs. https://reecesrainbow.org/100975/kevin-3
Bobby
Boy, born December 2011.Progressive Muscular Dystrophy.
Bobby is in a steriod regime and can walk, run and jump. There are not seen a negative impact on his physical development. He is an active child, he enjoys playing with blocks and cars, he loves music too. He likes playing outside and laughing with other children. Bobby has good self care skills, he can feed himslelf, dress and undress and sometimes he helps the other children. His caretakers are very fond of him.
Bobby is waiting for a family to call his own who can help him access to the treatment he needs.
https://reecesrainbow.org/91352/bobby-2
Emerson
Boy, born October 2011.Progressive Muscular Dystrophy.
Emerson is a shy, quiet and lovely boy. Thought he is a little introverted around strangers, he's quite lively once he is in a familiar envoirment. Due to some problems, he was tested for Muscular Dystrophy and was found possitive. Currently they don't see any symptoms of the MD, he can sit, crawl, and walk while holding into something. He also shows fine motor skills, he can scribble with a pen, pick up small objects and feed himself. He understands simple instructions and imitates simple words like "mom" or "dad".
Emerson is waiting for a famly who can provide him all he needs, could you help him?
https://reecesrainbow.org/83430/emerson
Zach
Boy, born July 2008.Progressive Muscular Dystrophy.
Zach is a joyul and cheerful child with an infectious smile. He is good in interacting with other children and likes playing with cars, dolls and animals. He enjoys playing pretending games, and is a smart boy with a good memory. He was hosted in a family in December 2014 and they can say many possitive things about him. By that time he was 6 years old and he adapted very well to the family life. He likes to show he can take on big-kid responsabilities, he is good in maintaining routines.
He was able to walk normally, except that he has to be more careful in negotiating uneven surfaces, works harder to get up from the floor, and will need help to getting into higher places.
He doesn't let this slow him down, he accepts help from adults and sometimes he wants to show he is able to do things alone. He enjoys being held, cuddled and paid attention to.
He needs a loving family who can provide him the medical care he needs. He loves being a part of a family.
https://reecesrainbow.org/56043/zach
All these kids are facing the hard reality of the Muscular Dystrophy and they're all alone, without someone who guide them and love them. Some of them have not showed any sympthoms yet, and this stage is a good moment to start the physical theraphy to help them slow down the symptoms. They live in an ervoinment with little resources and this could disserve them.
If you would like to know more about this kids you can click on the link I posted in their profiles, If you'd like to know more about Walsh you can visit the facebook page Children's House International or email nina.t@chiadopt.org
There is a fundation called Duchenne Parent Project that provides psychosocial support to people affected by Muscular Dystrophy and their families. It's an association at an international level that also works hard to help the research and to raise awarness, they have many resources that can help people and also they help you to get in contact to more families who are struggling the same.
If you can't adopt you can donate, if you can't donate you can share, and if you can't share you can tell people about them. We can do something within our possibilities.
Thank you for reading, share donate and love :)
