We have Caden's diagnosis.

Caden has been diagnosed with a genetic disorder called Prader-Willi Syndrome. It is a disorder caused by a deletion on the number 15 chromosome. It causes the people with it to have hypotonia (low muscle tone) at birth, difficulty feeding early on in life, some problems with learning, and eating problems.

The hypotonia fades as time goes on and he get's stronger. The troubles with taking a bottle also fade since his muscles will get stronger. There will also be a physical therapist that will be assigned to help Caden

The problems with learning can also be helped with an occupational therapist. We will also do what we can to help him learn on his own.

With the eating problems, it's not a problem with getting them to eat like you normally have with a child. It's getting them to stop. The part of your brain that controls when you're hungry and when you're full, the hypothalamus, doesn't work properly in people with PWS. It'll tell them when they are hungry, but it doesn't always flip the switch and tell them that they are full. So, they can eat, and eat, and eat until they hurt or kill themselves. To make matters worse, the hypothalamus also controls your metabolism, and people with PWS have a lower than normal metabolism.

So, people with PWS tend to be obese. In the past, some have died from literally eating themselves to death. It tends not to happen anymore with the help of others.

Caden will get stronger and smarter as he goes along through life, and he can live a pretty normal life, but we have to teach him about his disorder as he grows and try to help him.

So, we ask for all of your prayers as we make this journey through life with our "PERFECT" and "BEAUTIFUL" son. We also ask that nobody treat him any differently so that he fits in as best as he can with "normal" people.


You can read more here:
Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA).
Googled search on PWS