Imagine feeling like you are starving every minute of every day, no matter how much food you consumed.
That’s the painful reality for people suffering from Prader-Willi Syndrome.
August 24 and 25 is Prader-Willi Syndrome Awareness Weekend in the Lower Mainland.
The syndrome involves the deletion of genes on the 15th chromosome. Symptoms include mild albinism, low muscle tone, growth hormone deficiency, hypothyroidism and severe complex sleep apnea.
The brains of people who suffer from Prader-Willi don’t receive the signal when they’ve had enough to eat, and they are perpetually hungry. Given the opportunity, people may eat to the point of stomach rupture.
The syndrome is very rare, affecting 1 in 15,000 births in Canada.
The Foundation for Prader-Willi Syndrome Research hopes to advance research in the hopes of eventually curing PWS.
A fundraising walk will be held in Ladner on August 24, and a second walk is scheduled for August 25.
For more information, visit the group’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OneSmallStepLadner
On tonight’s News Hour, you’ll meet Ellie (pictured), who is suffering from Prader-Willi Syndrome.
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