DiGeorge

yeah, i know this is the second post today, but i figured i would share what i had learned.. i think it's neat.

So, when my sister was born, she was born with a disease called "Thymic Dysplasia". Well, being in microbiology, we learn all about the different diseases and what they do, and our section about a week ago was over immune deficiency disease. Well, nowhere in our book does it mention "thymic dysplasia".. i knew it was kind of a big deal, but i figured it must have been rare, or not nearly as life-threatening as i had always believed. So, i decided to do some research.
They've changed the name - it is now grouped under the name "DiGeorge anomaly" .. which IS mentioned in my book. Pretty much, it's a fatal disease where the patient is born without a thymus gland - thus, no T-cells, and is susceptible to any type of virus. This is a big deal - the body can't fight off infections. I started looking up more things - the DiGeorge anomaly typically leads to facial deformities, severe cardiac problems, cleft palates, mental retardation, stunted growth and more in the few survivors. It IS treatable - but not very well, and the patient is left much more susceptible to death from infections. And the craziest thing of all - it has a mortality rate of 86% after you are six months old.
I learned two things from this:
first off, it reaffirmed my thoughts that i definitely want to go into pediatric medicine. I'm still leaning toward physical therapy, but it would be neat to be able to work in a field where i could make improvements to the healthcare system, through research and experimentation. These things fascinate me (enough that i've spent quite a bit of time researching it!), and i want so badly to be able to help kids, so that they don't have to suffer nearly as much. we've come so far already, and there is still soooo much to do. Thank goodness for modern medicine.
Second- this story is a testimony-builder. I knew, from a young age, that my sister would have to get transfusions every month, for as long as she lived. which they predicted wouldn't be past the age of ten. however, right after my parents first joined the church, (my sister was probably around ten, i think..) my sister got a blessing of health. The doctor ran some tests, and were astounded when everything came back completely normal. She'd had this all her life, and so this was majorly miraculous. Now, my sister is 24 (ish), and she's extraordinarily healthy. There are only two remnants of her disease left - her scars from the time she almost died of chicken pox, and her susceptibility to strep throat. I wish i could explain to you guys what a miracle this is, after studying so much in microbiology. With most immune diseases, there is only short-term treatment. With the Lord's help, my sister never again needed treatment. how cool is that?