Tay-Sachs Disease

Tay-Sachs Disease was discovered by Warren Tay in 1881. If the patient is a baby, they seem to develop fine for the first few months, but then become blind, deaf, and unable to swallow. This is due to the fatty material distending the cells. The is currently no cure or treatments for this terrible disease, although medication and good nutrition can help symptoms. It is fatal in children, and they usually die by age four, survival beyond age five is extremely rare. Tay-Sachs is mostly found Eastern European Ashkenzai Jews. Other then that, it is an uncommon disease. If anything else, what needs to be understood about this disease is treatment or a cure, to save the lives of many people. The is currently a foundation working toward this called "Dakota's Dream". Dakota is an 9-year old girl that is battling Tay-Sachs. Dakota had a cord blood transplant done at Duke Medical Center in January of 2006, but the disease continues to grow. She is slowly losing her mental and physical abilities because her body is missing an important enzyme needed to clear waste from brain cells. One in every 250 people carry this fatal gene mutation.

What I Think: I feel terrible for the children with this disease, as well as their families. Some children spend weeks in the hospital, and I know how it feels to have a loved one in the hospital for such a long time. Hopefully, someday, we will find a cure for Tay-Sachs and put many families at ease.


Info: Click Here!