ELIJAH TORRES – AGE 5
Elijah Torres was born with tethered spinal cord and a cyst on the lower part of his spinal cord. Elijah had underwent surgery to remove the cyst at 2 years old. Elijah was then diagnosed with Bainbridge-Ropers Syndrome. This very rare neurological disease does not only cause severe development delay, but comes with other symptoms such as gastrointestinal difficulties, seizures, hypotonia, autism, slow weight gain, behavioral disturbances and more. Another common obstacle is feeding difficulties, which is why he had a feeding tube placed. Commonly these children are non-verbal and unable to walk. Doctors don’t know much about this disease because only about 300 people in the world have been diagnosed. Elijah still has a long road ahead of him. Elijah may need to have a Tracheostomy and hip surgery. Elijah goes to multiple therapies each week to help him with his condition.
KAYDEN GERMOSEN – AGE 3
Kayden Germosen was born and diagnosed with Prune Belly Syndrome it is characterized by partial absence of some or most abdominal muscles giving rise to a wrinkled or prune-like appearance. Complications associated with Prune Belly Syndrome may include under development of the lungs and chronic renal failure. This medical condition has made crawling and walking difficult for Kayden. The exact cause for Prune-Belly Syndrome is not known. Prune Belly Syndrome is not uncommon, occurring in approximately 1 to 30,000 to 40,000 live births. Kayden has since had a Tracheotomy procedure and continues to have chronic kidney issues.
