My best friend is going to school to be a genetic counselor. Basically what this means is that she will counsel couples who want to have kids before they start trying. She will test their DNA, their medical histories and analyze anything that could cause harm in their future baby. She is so passionate about helping people decide if natural birth was the right option. Luckily she can talk them into adoption, in vitro fertilization or many other birthing options.
She recently started telling me about a sad disease in babies that usually runs in people of Jewish descent. It is called Canavan disease. Symptoms of Canavan disease are usually seen within the first year of a baby’s life. Symptoms are caused by a lack of enzymes and can cause anything from irritability, poor muscle tone to seizures and vomiting. Sadly enough, most babies die before they are 18 months old. Because there is no cure as of yet, treatments are given on a case by case basis, and used to treat the symptoms, but not the problem. With any genetic counseling, parents can be given tests to see if their future children will be at risk for contracting this debilitating disease.