The purpose of the blog is to document my external learning of Developmental Biology. Enjoy!

Monday, November 3, 2014

Trisomy 18

There is a beautiful couple in my church that had a baby. They had a little baby girl named Arielle. Unfortunately, little Arielle was born with a genetic disorder: trisomy 18.

Trisomy 18 is also known as Edward's syndrome. This condition is where there is an extra 18th chromosome. For some reason, this syndrome is found mostly in females than males.

There are a host of issues that come along with that extra chromosome:

  • heart defects
  • mental disability
  • growth and developmental issues
  • breathing and feeding problems
  • joint contractures
  • cleft lip/palate
  • spaced eyes
  • and many other problems
Half of the children that are born with this syndrome die within the first week. The oldest one has lived was to age 10. I can say that baby Arielle lived for 5 months and 1 week. She beat a lot of odds. She ministered to hundreds around her. While she never lived a full life, she will have an eternity when Jesus returns.

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