Thursday, July 26, 2007

Is there a cure out there for Down syndrome?

Last week, I would have told you, "it's a genetic anomaly, in every cell of the person's body, and there's no way you can cure that". Now, as I do some research into the work of the man who discovered the cause of Down syndrome, Dr. Jerome Lejeune, I was heartened by something he said before he died in 1994, "to find a cure for Down syndrome would take less effort than sending a man to the moon."
His deepest regret was not finding that cure before he died, but here's the good news; his Foundation in France, Fondacion Lejeune, has all his documentation, and his research continues there, and in other locations, like Stanford. There is also some work trying to cure the side effects of having an extra chromosome, like those discussed here using Ginkgo Gil boa.
So, families who have children with Down syndrome, take heart, there is research out there, and our job is to get them funding. The Michael Fund was established for precisely that. Help get the word out that the March of Dimes has focused it's research into search and destroy pre-natal diagnoses, to 'cure' Down syndrome, while the public thinks they are helping babies with birth defects, in effect they are eliminating the babies with Down syndrome. And as the NY Times video suggests, the fewer people with Down syndrome out there, the less interest in finding a cure.
I will post updates on finding a cure, as I find them. Please feel free to send me links.

1 comment:

Christine said...

This book is so full of hope and truth! I pray that Fondacion Lejeune finds a cure. More importantly, I pray that families will be open to the wonderful blessing children with Down Syndrome are. Thank you for sharing your love for your little girl.