May 9, 2016
Ericka is a 10-month-old girl from Guatemala. She traveled over five hours with her family to make it to our clinic. She suffers from a rare genetic disorder called propionic acidemia. This means that she cannot metabolize proteins in a normal way, and for this reason she has to have a very low-protein diet.
Ericka lives with her family in a rural community in the Pacific coastal region of Guatemala. Ericka loves to eat strawberries and play with her mother. Her mother is unable to work because of Ericka’s special needs, making it difficult for her to be able to make money to support Ericka’s medical care.
Ericka needs to receive a full diagnostic workup to identify any brain abnormalities that may have been caused by not eating a diet that her body can tolerate. Currently, she still cannot sit up on her own, and likely will not be able to for a while–because of her condition. Also, she needs a special diet in order to avoid the risks of high ammonia in the blood, stroke, and sudden death.
$1,385 will fund diagnostic testing for Ericka, and allow her medical team to determine the best course of treatment for her moving forward. Funding will also go toward her initial treatment.
“Our dreams are to see her grow one day, and get better,” Ericka’s mother shared. “Maybe she could learn to walk. We appreciate the support we will receive for our baby.”
Ericka is a 10-month-old girl from Guatemala. She traveled over five hours with her family to make it to our clinic. She suffers from a rare...
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September 12, 2016
Ericka began treatment for her genetic disorder.
Ericka has been improving greatly since we first began treatment for her developmental delays. Although her full genetic workup came back negative for the common mutations that cause her rare metabolic disorder, she has improved greatly with the treatment with a special kind of formula that does not have the amino acids in it that her body is unable to metabolize. Although she was acutely malnourished when we first met her, she is now a normal weight for her age. She has also been developing mentally and gaining new motor skills with her custom treatment plan, meaning she can now turn on her own, can hold her head up, and can almost sit up on her own. She has also been able to stop taking her anticonvulsant medications since her nutrition improved and she was finally receiving sufficient electrolytes, avoiding dangerous imbalances that cause seizures. We are confident that with continued treatment Ericka will continue to grow and develop.
“I see her as more active… she can turn in the bed on her own, and she always puts her little foot in her mouth,” her mother shared. “We appreciate the unconditional support that we have received.”
Ericka has been improving greatly since we first began treatment for her developmental delays. Although her full genetic workup came back ne...
Read more