My 6-year-old son, Cayden, has been using a feeding tube since he was a newborn. Although I feared the tube at first, I’ve learned to be thankful for its benefits. Cayden required a feeding tube as a result of symptoms related to his infantile-onset Pompe disease; in…
Daily living
It’s no secret that the holiday season is a busy time for everyone, but imagine having to incorporate a 6.5-hour infusion therapy into the mix of it all. That’s the case for our family because my 6-year-old son, Cayden, has infantile-onset Pompe disease. While planning everything out can be…
My 6-year-old son, Cayden, has been seeing an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor since he was about 2 years old. His metabolic disease specialist, who manages everything related to Cayden’s infantile-onset Pompe disease, originally referred him to the ENT department because this type of Pompe is known to…
I recently attended a meeting for my 6-year-old son, Cayden, at his elementary school. So many people are working with Cayden at school, including his teacher, nurse, and physical, occupational, and speech therapists. Because of this, we felt it was important for all of us to sit down and…
Next week, my 6-year-old son, Cayden, will celebrate something even more exciting than Halloween: He’ll be headed to Parris Island in South Carolina to watch my younger brother, Ben, graduate from the Marine Corps. I’m so thankful that Cayden has the opportunity to watch his uncle celebrate such…
Most children and adolescents with Pompe disease adapted well to living with the chronic condition and had generally good emotional well-being, according to a small interview study involving patients and caregivers in Europe. Still, patients reported frustrations related to physical disabilities and their social impacts, as well as the…
Difficulty swallowing is a common problem for adults with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) and can have a sizeable impact on their quality of life, yet most of these patients aren’t receiving specialty care to address this issue, according to a recent study. Researchers noted that clinicians caring for LOPD…
After attending new student orientation at my 6-year-old son Cayden’s new school a few weeks ago, we eagerly anticipated the first day of classes. Now that he has officially completed the first week of first grade, we have lots of great updates to share. Every day when Cayden arrived…
Back in May, we made the hard but necessary decision to move to a new place. Our old apartment was just too small for our growing family. Plus, it wasn’t very accessible for my 6-year-old son to navigate with his wheelchair. We were on the hunt for a place that…
Every other week like clockwork, we stay home for a day so my 6-year-old son, Cayden, can receive his enzyme replacement infusion. These infusions are the only treatment option for infantile-onset Pompe disease, the rare disease that Cayden was diagnosed with via newborn screening shortly…
Recent Posts
- How my daughter’s medical backpack became a symbol of freedom
- Lung function test may catch respiratory issues in late-onset Pompe
- Wanting to blend in, so the rare care isn’t the first thing that’s seen
- Home enzyme replacement therapy safe for Pompe disease children
- What ‘lucky’ really means for a child with Pompe disease