Story
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rett Syndrome affects thousands of girls in the UK and is a rare but severe neurological disorder affecting girls which leads to non verbal and non mobile adults who are totally dependent on others. Although rare, it is the most common genetic cause of severe disability within females and causes sufferers to be entirely dependent throughout their lives.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Imagine having an entirely healthy pregnancy, followed by a normal birth, followed by 18 months of joy with your beautiful, normally developing baby girl . Imagine then noticing that her milestones are becoming delayed, that acquired skills are being lost, and she no longer matches her peer group. Finally, imagine finding out that those skills will never return, that she will not acquire the basic skills you'd assumed she would, and that she will be dependent on others for care throughout her life. This is the journey parents of Rett girls go through.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">The spectrum is wide, but typically a Rett girl will lose mobility, purposeful hand function and all verbal communication. Behavioural difficulties are common, as are repetitive hand movements, perpetual hand-wringing and consistent wailing. Epilepsy, chronic spinal curvature, malnutrition and breathing and feeding difficulties are also typical of the syndrome.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">BUT . . . .the good news is, IT IS CURABLE!!! Scientists have successfully reversed the gene change in mice and clinical trials on girls to reverse the syndrome have begun in the US. It is widely believed that it will be the first neurological disorder to be cured, but there's still a long way to go . . . and that's where you come in . . .<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Royal Russell Years 7, 8 and 9 pupils and generously agreed to read for Rett UK to raise money towards funding research to help find the cure, as well as to supporting girls and their families who are living with the syndrome now. Rett UK is a non profit making charity working towards improving the quality of life for all those living with Rett Syndrome and towards supporting research into all aspects of the condition to lead to an eventual cure.<br /> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thank you so much for your support, and please visit </span><a href="http://www.rettuk.org/"><span style="color: #800080; font-size: small;">www.rettuk.org</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> to find out more about the syndrome and the difference your donation will make. </span></span></p>
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