Powering Through Pompe
— Keara Engle

Note: This column describes the author’s son’s experiences with Nexviazyme and Lumizyme. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy or changing its dose. My 6-year-old son, Cayden, has received infusions of enzyme replacement therapy for the entirety…

House hunting isn’t easy, especially when you’re searching for an affordable wheelchair-accessible home. But thankfully, we managed to find a beautiful one that fits our monthly budget for rent, and drumroll … it’s wheelchair accessible! We’ve been planning to move for quite a while. My 6-year-old son, Cayden, isn’t…

Parents never want to see their children experience anything hard or painful. Yet I can recall many times when I’ve had to put my 6-year-old son, Cayden, through something difficult for his own good. One of my memories from his early years is when he had to get a…

Life has been a bit hectic lately. My family has many changes coming up, and each one brings its own challenges. I’ve lived in the same town for most of my life, as have my children. But that may soon change. Our family is growing, and we’ll be welcoming another…

My 6-year-old son, Cayden, is no stranger to ear infections. When he was 2, we decided it was time to solve the problem of recurring ear infections once and for all. His otolaryngologist recommended implanting ear tubes. Tubes are pretty common, so I wasn’t overly concerned about the…

At the young age of 16, I gave birth to my now 6-year-old son, Cayden. Like any new parent, I had to learn patience. I was raising a child while I was still a child myself, and it was no easy task. However, I quickly discovered that I would learn…

My 6-year-old son, Cayden, loves to spend time outdoors, especially at the new accessible park in our town. He also likes to blow bubbles, paint rocks, and throw a ball. He basically enjoys everything that most children his age like to do. Cayden has never been able to walk…

A few days ago, my 6-year-old son, Cayden, woke us up with quite a surprise. We were getting everything ready for his biweekly enzyme replacement infusion, the treatment for his infantile-onset Pompe disease. When I woke up Cayden that morning to get him prepared for the day…

Last week was a busy one for our family. In addition to delivering a talk about Pompe disease to my son Cayden’s kindergarten class, we also celebrated his sixth birthday. The week was filled with fun and joy as Cayden was able to celebrate another year of life.

My 6-year-old son, Cayden, and I plan to put together a small presentation about his infantile-onset Pompe disease for his kindergarten class later this week, in recognition of Rare Disease Day on Feb. 29. Unfortunately, he’ll have to miss school that day because he’s scheduled to get his…

Philips, a company that manufactures and sells respiratory equipment to a big portion of the United States, recently posted a statement saying it was discontinuing “the sale of hospital ventilation products, certain home ventilation products, portable and stationary oxygen concentrators, and sleep diagnostic products.” This change was a shock…

Last week, my 5-year-old son, Cayden, and I spent a few hours preparing for his Valentine’s Day celebration at school. He’s in kindergarten, so it’s the first year that we got to make Valentine’s Day cards for his class. We even took it a step further and filled goody…