Angelman syndrome : Boy who never stops SMILING with rare genetic disorder has difficulty walking and talking but is always happy
A toddler suffers from a rare genetic condition which means he cannot stop smiling.
Ollie Petherick, two, from Devizes, Wiltshire, was born with Angelman syndrome - a chromosome disorder which causes severe learning difficulties – and puts a permanent smile on his face.
Sufferers present a happy demeanour, so are often smiling or laughing, and tend to be easily excited.
The condition is so rare that less than 1,000 cases have been reported in the UK.
Ollie’s mother, Annie Campbell, said: ‘Ollie’s smile and happy personality just makes everything worthwhile.
‘I can be seriously sleep deprived but his smile never fails to cheer me up - he has a knack of really making you feel his excitement and his giggle is just amazing.
‘The only thing any parent wants is for their child to be happy, and I know that with Ollie, I will always have that.’
Ms Campbell, 24, often receives compliments about her little boy’s beaming smile.
She said: ‘We get a lot of comments about his smile when we’re out which his lovely - it really does make you happy when you see his grin.
‘He was a very relaxed and placid baby too - he’d always babble away to himself without a care in the world.’
Ms Campbell, who is now a full time carer for her son, only discovered Ollie’s condition when she noticed he couldn’t focus on things properly.
She said: ‘Ollie was six-months-old when I started to notice that his development was delayed - his older brother was much more advanced at his age.
‘Then, one evening, I spent hours trying to get him to follow my finger with his eyes, and he just couldn’t do it.
‘I really started to worry, so the next morning I went to the GP to be on the safe side.
‘We were referred to the hospital where they did eye tests, but we were eventually told that Ollie suffered from something neurological, but they weren’t quite sure what.’
Ms Campbell was then transferred to a second hospital where her little boy underwent more tests.
Meanwhile, she had come across Angelman syndrome in a magazine, and was convinced it was what her son suffered from.
She said: ‘I’d read an article in the magazine and the symptoms they were described were exactly the same as Ollie’s.
‘I rang his dad straight away and told him that Ollie had Angelman - I was certain of it.
‘I just knew that’s what he had, and then two days later - six weeks after our first appointment - it was confirmed by the doctors.
‘By this point, I’d already convinced myself he had Angelman, so it was a relief to finally get a diagnosis. I just wanted to learn as much as I could about it so I knew how to help Ollie.
‘I went online and tried to find out as much as possible. I read that Angelman was to do with a deletion of a chromosome – it’s funny how such a tiny thing like that can affect someone so much.
‘I found support groups and other mum’s who had children with Angelman too, that’s how I got the most help and information.’
Ms Campbell added: ‘Ollie won’t be able to speak or walk with ease when he grows up which is upsetting.
‘I do worry about him in the future - I wonder how I’ll know if he is ever upset or sad, when the Angelman makes him so happy all the time.
‘But at the moment I just enjoy the lovely little boy that I have.’
Ollie Petherick, two, from Devizes, Wiltshire, was born with Angelman syndrome - a chromosome disorder which causes severe learning difficulties – and puts a permanent smile on his face.
Sufferers present a happy demeanour, so are often smiling or laughing, and tend to be easily excited.
The condition is so rare that less than 1,000 cases have been reported in the UK.
Ollie’s mother, Annie Campbell, said: ‘Ollie’s smile and happy personality just makes everything worthwhile.
‘I can be seriously sleep deprived but his smile never fails to cheer me up - he has a knack of really making you feel his excitement and his giggle is just amazing.
‘The only thing any parent wants is for their child to be happy, and I know that with Ollie, I will always have that.’
Ms Campbell, 24, often receives compliments about her little boy’s beaming smile.
She said: ‘We get a lot of comments about his smile when we’re out which his lovely - it really does make you happy when you see his grin.
‘He was a very relaxed and placid baby too - he’d always babble away to himself without a care in the world.’
Ms Campbell, who is now a full time carer for her son, only discovered Ollie’s condition when she noticed he couldn’t focus on things properly.
She said: ‘Ollie was six-months-old when I started to notice that his development was delayed - his older brother was much more advanced at his age.
‘Then, one evening, I spent hours trying to get him to follow my finger with his eyes, and he just couldn’t do it.
‘I really started to worry, so the next morning I went to the GP to be on the safe side.
‘We were referred to the hospital where they did eye tests, but we were eventually told that Ollie suffered from something neurological, but they weren’t quite sure what.’
Ms Campbell was then transferred to a second hospital where her little boy underwent more tests.
Meanwhile, she had come across Angelman syndrome in a magazine, and was convinced it was what her son suffered from.
She said: ‘I’d read an article in the magazine and the symptoms they were described were exactly the same as Ollie’s.
‘I rang his dad straight away and told him that Ollie had Angelman - I was certain of it.
‘I just knew that’s what he had, and then two days later - six weeks after our first appointment - it was confirmed by the doctors.
‘By this point, I’d already convinced myself he had Angelman, so it was a relief to finally get a diagnosis. I just wanted to learn as much as I could about it so I knew how to help Ollie.
‘I went online and tried to find out as much as possible. I read that Angelman was to do with a deletion of a chromosome – it’s funny how such a tiny thing like that can affect someone so much.
‘I found support groups and other mum’s who had children with Angelman too, that’s how I got the most help and information.’
Ms Campbell added: ‘Ollie won’t be able to speak or walk with ease when he grows up which is upsetting.
‘I do worry about him in the future - I wonder how I’ll know if he is ever upset or sad, when the Angelman makes him so happy all the time.
‘But at the moment I just enjoy the lovely little boy that I have.’
Support : http://www.angelmanuk.org/
Source : DailyMail
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