GAMT

“Meet Max” – Mikelle

Meet Max. Six years ago (almost seven), my life changed when he was born. He was my first child and the most amazing gift to me and my husband. When I was pregnant, everything seemed pretty normal. Clinically, the only thing that was wrong with my pregnancy was I had a single umbilical artery. It was not a major issue, except I had to have a few extra ultrasounds to ensure that the baby was developing and growing normally. In retrospect, I wonder if this was a symptom of the diagnosis we would receive a year and a half later.
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“Warning: Rant Up Ahead” – Beth

I feel like my previous entries have been thoughtful and reflective, and admittedly, very therapeutic for me. This one is a little rough around the edges. It’s more of a rant. A bratty, selfish tirade. I hate the medication part of GAMT.

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“The Seizure Battle” – Heidi

When Samantha was five, she began having absence seizures. The quick, least scary type of seizures (still scary) where she would seem to look up for 2-3 seconds and come back to her normal self quickly. These turned out to be a blessing because they got us into a pediatric neurologist who finally put a name to her half decade struggle: GAMT deficiency. Continue reading

“The One in the Middle” – Beth

With the GAMT diagnosis of two of our children, our unaffected middle child immediately became the odd man out. Even my husband and I, given our genetic contribution to the disorder, were involved somehow. But Mae, our middle child, has no ties to the disorder as of now. Continue reading

I’m Sarah and my daughter Ella is now 6 and a half. She was diagnosed with GAMT at just over 3 years old (February 2013).

Before diagnosis Ella was initially diagnosed with mitochondrial disease based on the results of an MRI in 2012. She suffered with up to 200 seizures a day (mostly myoclonic and atonic with occasional tonic-clonic’s), she also has severe global developmental delay and ataxia.

Ella’s first years were tough, to say the least! Continue reading

“Out of the Dark” – Beth

When it comes to high points in my life, I have many—my wedding day, each of the births of my three children.  It’s difficult to choose the highest point.  But when it comes to low points, there is just one.  I’m thankful to have more highs than lows, but that low point in my life occupies a permanent spot in my head and heart. Continue reading

RUSP Presentation – Laura

My name is Laura Martin and I’m here with the Association for Creatine Deficiencies to tell you about my son Ryan.  Ryan will be 5 years old in July.  He was diagnosed with GAMT deficiency almost exactly 2 years ago, right before his 3rd birthday, on a genetic epilepsy panel.  Ryan started treatment, and his seizures stopped within 2 weeks. His EEG normalized.  His coordination improved.  It took awhile, but he’s talking.  Continue reading