Have you ever watched the Special Olympics? I haven’t. In fact, I don’t even know what network carries the Special Olympics. That’s very sad.
This June, I will be scanning the guide to find the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games being held in Athens, Greece. Why? I will tell you…
Meet 18-year-old Emilda Soriano (on the left), and her family, who lives in the southern part of Iloilo, Philippines. When Emilda was just two years old, she had a convulsion from a high fever. She lay unconscious for six days. When she awoke, she wasn’t the same and she never recovered. To this day, Emilda doesn’t recognize letters, numbers, colors, and can’t stay focused on a conversation for very long. She has the mental capacity of a three-year-old, but praise God the girl can RUN!
With the help of her hard working and loving parents and Compassion International, Emilda has been able to train, compete, and has qualified for the Summer Special Olympics being held in Greece. Compassion has gladly covered her local and national competition expenses, but unfortunately doesn’t have the ability to cover the international expenses for competing in the 2011 Summer games.
Emilda’s parents, Reynaldo and Vilma, support their daughter to the best of their abilities by working hard and saving money. They don’t, however, have the ability to pay her way to Greece and neither does the Philippine government, something that could change Emilda’s life!
Her need is $19,857.00. I know that sounds like an astronomical number, but honestly a little can really go a long way. If you would donate the maximum amount you can afford, and tell a few friends who would tell a few friends, and so on… the numbers would add up and before we all know it, Emilda will be on her way to Greece!
Please visit Compassion’s site and read more about Emilda, her family, and their situation. And please please take a moment of your time to donate towards Emilda’s competition costs. We all have the opportunity to give this sweet young girl the world, literally. All we have to do– all you have to do– is make a small donation. Let’s help Emilda become the first Compassion-sponsored child to win an Olympic medal!!
Rett syndrome is confirmed with a simple blood test to identify the MECP2 mutation. However, since the MECP2 mutation is also seen in other disorders, the presence of the MECP2 mutation in itself is not enough for the diagnosis of Rett syndrome. Diagnosis requires either the presence of the mutation (a molecular diagnosis) or fulfillment of the diagnostic criteria (a clinical diagnosis, based on signs and symptoms that you can observe) or both. It can present with a wide range of disability ranging from mild to severe. The course and severity of Rett syndrome is determined by the location, type and severity of her mutation and X-inactivation. Therefore, two girls of the same age with the same mutation can appear quite different.
IRSF is in the running to win a $250K research grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project. This grant could mean $500K for Rett Syndrome due to a generous matching gift grant from the Pioneer Fund of Colorado. Research has shown that symptoms of Rett can be reversed in a mouse model. IRSF is targeting research funds to discover, develop and test new drugs to treat and reverse Rett Syndrome. The research is too promising to not fight for this grant!
