New Member and a Thank You

[Guest guest]

Hello all. First let me say,that I've been inspired and informed by

all your posts. I've been reading for a couple of days, and I like

you all already!

My name is and I am 32 years old. My husband and older son (3

1/2 years) have CMT 1A. My dh was diagnosed as a child and has had

reconstuctive surgery on his feet. Currently, he wears ankle

supports, walks with a gait, has balance problems, and cannot stand

in one place without holding on to something. The good news is, he is

a sports/massage therapist which is a very physical profession. It

has helped build his arms and given him stamina.

After genetic counseling, and a couple of letters to my insurance

company, we decided last year to have both my sons tested. Nate was

almost a year old and Owen was 2.5. It was a simple blood test that

was sent to a lab in Boston I believe. I was told it was the only lab

in the country that tests for CMT! The results came back that my

older son has CMT and my younger son does not.

So far, the only symptoms my son is showing is slightly turned in

legs, frequent falling, and occasional toe walking. Otherwise, he can

run, play, kick, and wrestle with his brother just fine. :)My dh and

I agree to keep him active but to always be aware of his needs. We

have a trampoline in the back yard and we've just signed him up for

soccer. He enjoys going to gym class as well. With my husband being

so closely related to the physical therapy profession, he strongly

believes that exercise and stretching can allow my son to reach his

full potential. The doctors say there is not much research available

on this, b/c dna testing for CMT through a simple blood test has not

been around that long. Therefore, people are usually diagnosed later

in life.

I am eager to learn from all of you as well as share my plights as I

raise a child with CMT. Thanks you all for reading and allowing me to

jjoin this group.