Just wanted to remind everyone - this Saturday, February 28th is Rare Disease Day.
RARE DISEASE DAY is not only in the USA. There are events planned all around the world. Check out the web site and check out your location. UK starts on the 25th!
While I am constantly researching ROHHAD and Ganglioneuroblastoma Cancer I sometimes run across new sites that I have never seen before. Mainly because they have my daughter's name in them or they list something relating to ROHHAD. About a week ago I found Little Miss Hannah's web site. Hannah is 6 months old and is fighting Gaucher’s Disease Type 2 or 3. Since her mom shared Haven's link to bring awareness to Haven's rare disease I wanted to share with you Hannah's link.
I would like to thank some other brave women who have emailed or sent me letters about their child's stuggle with ROHHAD. Although they are worried that it may push me to lose all hope to hear their stories I am overjoyed to hear from these moms.
Although some doctors want to make this disease be our fault and accuse of us causing this disease we have to be strong in knowing we did nothing as parents to make this happen. We all have the same story from our child's birth. I am reading your letters and everything is like deja vu - I'm sure all of you feel the same when I send you Haven's story.
For 2 years we were told it was our fault and we were overfeeding our child and we were doing everything wrong. I have been angry for 3 years now and even when I tell myself I'm not going to be angry anymore I am. ROHHAD SUCKS! It's horrible....I hate it. No one understands it and it seems like you are alone. None of us have slept in years due to worry about our children. We all pretend to go on like everything is normal....but when I take my daughter shopping for clothes I am reminded it is not normal.
People stare and believe it or not, people say stuff. People come up and say stuff about how our children are fat and that we should be ashamed of ourselves as parents and how we are ruining our child's life. I'm sorry but I want to go insane on these people but out of respect for my daughter I keep it as civilized as I can. I can't promise that I'm always civilized. I know all of us as parents with ROHHAD children are going through this. AND I shouldn't have to lock my daughter in her house so she won't be stared at by ADULTS! Anyway, I hear all of you and I completely understand what all of you are going through...we just have to be there for each other.
I took Haven shopping Saturday to buy some new clothes - as she has again grown out of everything we bought only a couple of months ago. She didn't want to try anything on - she didn't even really care to look at the clothes. She told me "I don't know why we come shopping - nothing fits me". This is extremely difficult for me to hear and even more for her. I don't know what to do here. She's 5 years old and wears a size 12/14 shirt.
April 1st Haven's doctors meet with the medical board again about her ROHHAD and where to go. Until then I will be working on some reports and charts for the doctors to take with them. I am collecting data from all of the mom's I talk to. I have a few that do not want their name or daughter's names used - and that is fine. They are still sending me all the info I need to make my report.
Some day there will be a treatment and cure for ROHHAD.
All our love to our wonderful friends fighting ROHHAD:
Mason Byrom
Joshua Wooten
Sophia Adamo
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