Chase
and Dylan Morris
Dylan
and Chase's MCAD Story
My husband and I were 22 when our first son was born and we
were so excited. Dylan was born on June 13, 2000 and weighed
in at 7lbs 4oz. He was a beautiful baby and seemed perfectly
healthy.
We would have never known that he had MCAD. We had never even
heard of it. See, we live in Virginia, a state that does not
test for MCAD. Luckily I had Dylan in Winston Salem, North
Carolina, a state that does test for this disorder.
I
thank God every day for the phone call we got from the UNC
Chapel Hill that told us our sweet little baby had a terrible
disorder called MCAD. The doctor explained what the disorder
was and how to prevent anything bad happening. We followed
his orders to the tee.
We were devestated, the whole family was. We were so scared,
angry, we did not know how to feel. Ya know... why my baby?
He is an innocent sweet baby. He doesn't deserve this but
as the years go by, we don't think about that anymore.
God
has a reason for everything he does. I guess he chose our
son for some odd reason but God blessed us and keeps on blessing
us so we are not bitter anymore, just thankful that Dylan
is okay. He is now in kindergarten and doing very well.
Dylan had an IQ test done at UNC Chapel Hill and they were
very impressed with the results because many children they
take care of with MCAD seem to have some learning delays but
to our suprise he is now five years old with the mentality
of an eight year old. He is very intelligent, witty, charming,
has a great sense of humor, and is a very imaginative little
boy.
We
watch him close when he is sick and vomitting but it seems
the older he gets, the easier it is. Thank God for that. We
are very worried parents all the time but I know in my heart
he is gonna be okay, because we have God on our side.
In 2003 we had our last son Chase weighed 7lbs 3ozs, he is
now 2 1/2 and very healthy and a delight to have in our lives.
He loves his big brother and they are inseparable. He is just
as smart and sweet as his brother.
When
I was pregnant with Chase, we knew there was a chance he would
have the MCAD disorder also, but the odds were 75% he would
not have any disorder. He would just be a carrier like myself
and my husband. There was a 25% chance he would have MCAD
just like his older brother. After Chase was born they did
a cord blood test to get faster results. Three days later
we got the news that he had the same thing as Dylan.
We were prepared this time. We knew what we had to do. It
has been a long hard road. Trips to the hospital... staying
a week at a time on IV's for sugar when they cannot eat...
but we are getting the hang of this now, and we are doing
okay. The children are doing great. They are enjoying life
and loving it.
I
do wish there were a way to get rid of this disorder and all
the others. It's not fair for any child to have to suffer
and I feel so sorry for all the the parents that have lost
children to this disorder or any other for that matter. You
all are in our prayers and our hearts. We all have something
in common... the love for our children. They have a right
to live.
All
states should test for this. There is no sense in our children
not even having a chance in this world just because some states
are so uncaring and cheap. What's a few extra dollars per
child? I think every child is worth that much and more.
Thanks
for listening and caring. I hope this gives some parents hope
for a better tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Jeremy
and Rebecca Morris
Anyone
feel free to contact us at rebmorr1@aol.com anytime.
