Finding a Cure for Fragile X
On Fragile X Awareness Day, July 22, 2019, buildings, bridges, and monuments across the U.S. and Canada — including Niagara Falls — will be illuminated in FRAXA’s signature Teal to spread the word about Fragile X syndrome.
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Our hearts are broken for everyone affected by the horrible tragedy at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. This one hits very close to home as two of the victims, the Rosenthal brothers, Cecil and David had Fragile X syndrome.
“Cecil’s laugh was infectious,” said Chris Schopf, Achieva’s vice president of residential supports. He added, “David was so kind and had such a gentle spirit. Together, they looked out for one another. They were inseparable. Most of all, they were kind, good people with a strong faith and respect for everyone around.”
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Over the years, Brett saw a lot of the older boys becoming Eagle Scouts and decided he wanted to get his Eagle Rank, too. Carl explained the process and Brett said, “Let’s do it”. Everything wasn’t smooth sailing and Brett encountered some obstacles. After Brett decided that he wanted to continue in scouting and get his Eagle Rank, the highest rank the Boy Scouts can achieve, we realized that there were some required merit badges that Brett would never be able to get because some of the requirements were just too difficult for him. The cool thing was that Boy Scouts offered an alternative path for special needs scouts.
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On Sunday, July 22 at 10:00 pm, Niagara Falls was lit up teal to honor National Fragile X Awareness Day! We are extremely grateful to the Niagara Falls Illumination Board for making this happen. The teal lighting created a spectacular experience for all the spectators on both sides of the falls.
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Theirs was an effort by a small group of thoughtful, committed members of the Fragile X Association of Michigan (FXAM) to be sure. The entire project took months! But it was hard work well worth the effort. After writing and revising (and revising), FXAM was awarded a $35,000 grant which the Michigan Fragile X group will now direct to Dr. Todd’s ongoing Fragile X research involving CRISPR!
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In the first week of March I attended my first Fragile X Advocacy Day to meet with many of the Massachusetts delegation to Congress. While this was my first time advocating for Fragile X research, I’ve been a longtime lung cancer research advocate and have met with many of the same representatives in the past. It was a pleasure to meet with many of the families as my participation in Advocacy Day was in the spirit of “we are all in this together”.
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Jessica Haugen and Jeff Eliason received the phone call every parent dreads in October 2012. Their son’s pediatrician told them their son, Larry, then 1, had Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and “there’s nothing you can do about it.” The couple reacted similarly to how other newly diagnosed parents receiving these results. Denial. Discouragement. Depression.
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July 22 is National Fragile X Awareness Day, but I’ll bet few know the history behind it.
In 2000, before there was such a thing as a Fragile X Advocacy Day, FRAXA Research Foundation and David Busby (husband to Mary Beth, father to two adult sons living with Fragile X, a member of FRAXA’s pioneering leadership team, and a prominent and politically well-connected DC lawyer) were running Fragile X advocacy in Washington, DC.
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Twenty-two is a terrifying birthday for the parent of a child with Fragile X Syndrome. It marks the end of formal schooling. We were daunted by this transition. Our son, Ryan, had been attending a residential school, New England Center for Children, for the previous 12 years. For almost all his waking hours, Ryan had one-on-one staffing and five additional staff nearby in case of behavioral outbursts. On community outings he was usually accompanied by at least three staff members. Now we were about to move him to Shared Living Collaborative (SLC) where he would have just one-to-one daytime staffing and two-to-one staffing in his residential placement, with no immediate, additional staff for help during a behavioral incident. We were tense and on edge about how this new arrangement would work. Rocky Beginnings This placement did not start out well. SLC seriously questioned whether Ryan could continue in the program. We approached a crisis point at SLC,
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FRAXA Research Foundation is fortunate to attract volunteers and interns from universities far and wide. FRAXA has just four staff on the payroll (three of whom are part time), to keep expenses low and devote your donations to Fragile X research. That also means we are very grateful to our volunteers! This past summer we were joined at the FRAXA Newburyport, MA office by Emily Fluet, a student who had completed her freshman year at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Emily has transformed two FRAXA publications into online resources available to all: Fragile X – A to Z and Medication Guide for Fragile X. My summer at FRAXA Research Foundation by Emily Fluet 9/1/2015 Many of my friends went on gap years last year, and hearing about their volunteering and service really inspired me: I wanted to do something to help out others as well. So I started researching nonprofits and was drawn to
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