Although MPSII has no cure, this treatment has slowed the progression of the disease and given us more options and more hope.
My nine-year-old son, Cole, is a happy little boy who loves to walk his dog Lucy and help his father and me cook. Cole was born with MPSII. Although Cole began showing symptoms when he was just three months old, it wasn’t until two and a half years (and multiple doctor examinations) later that we finally received a diagnosis. Fortunately, when Cole was four, we were able to get him into a clinical trial, in which he was given a missing enzyme that breaks down sugars. Although MPSII has no cure, this treatment has slowed the progression of the disease and given us more options and more hope. Cole’s diagnosis came as a complete surprise to us, since we have no family history of the disease. However, a test is now available that can detect the presence of Hunter’s syndrome at birth, preventing other families from enduring a maddening diagnostic odyssey while watching their child’s health permanently deteriorate.
