Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Girl Power
to cure Rett Syndrome

My best friend, Beth, (who grew up in Iselin!) read yesterday's post, and had an idea for a story for me. But this story isn't limited to Iselin.
Beth's daughter, Kelly, has Rett Syndrome, which is a severe neurological disorder, the most severe form of Autism. Rett Syndrome only affects girls -- most cannot walk, talk or use their hands.
Kelly is a sweetheart with some serious obstacles in her path.

Amazingly enough, in 2007, researchers found that they could actually REVERSE the disorder in mice, creating hope that they will eventually be able to reverse it in the little girls who suffer from it as well

An article in Reuters in February 2007:
Hope Raised for Reversing Severe Childhood Disease
By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON | Thu Feb 8, 2007 4:39pm EST


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists searching for a way to treat the rare but severe childhood neurological disorder Rett syndrome have reversed the disease in mice, raising hopes for doing the same in people.


In a study appearing on Thursday in the journal Science, researchers led by Adrian Bird of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland switched on a gene called MECP2 in mice with the equivalent of Rett syndrome to make their symptoms vanish.


The surprising results contradicted the notion that damage to the brain caused by the disease, which occurs nearly exclusively in girls, is permanent.


"It rocked us back on our heels because in a way we were expecting a more disappointing result," Bird said in an interview.
(and the article continues from there... )


There is actual hope for a real cure for Rett Syndrome, according to these scientists!  So an organization called Girl Power 2 Cure, started by the mom of another little girl with Retts, is doing a fundraiser this month. 

The foundation is only asking for $1.11 -- that's not a lot of money, right?  This is the campaign that they are doing on facebook:
Let's kick off 2011 right! If every family with a daughter with Rett Syndrome on Facebook reaches out to all of their FB friends for a minimum $1.11 donation throughout 1/11, we can raise thousands of dollars this month! 
Donate HERE
 Make Rett the FIRST charity you support in 2011!
Make Rett the FIRST curable neurological disorder!

LEARN MORE ABOUT RETT SYNDROME:
http://www.girlpower2cure.org/
PASS IT ON! 2011 is OUR YEAR!

And here is more information about Rett Syndrome from the Girl Power 2 Cure website:




I hope everyone who reads this article sends in their $1.11 today! 
And someday, Kelly will be able to talk, and she'll say THANK YOU!  :)

3 comments:

  1. Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this....everyone who reads this...please know from the bottom of my heart how every penny is greatly appreciated.

    Your help is our hope.

    Beth

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for this post! There is another little girl born with Rett Syndrome every 90 minutes. We are working hard to put a stop to that.

    Thank you for all of your support!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Look what I found roaming on the internet when I should be doing something.
    B

    ReplyDelete