Rene's Room

Hi there! My name is René and I live in Trussville, Alabama with my husband and youngest daughter.. I am a stay at home wife/mom. My hobbies are: Movies, reading, shopping and traveling when I can. My most favorite thing besides my family is: The beach.

Let me tell you a little bit about my family. My husband is Phil. He works at UPS and has basically all of his adult life. We have been married 26 years. He is a great husband and dad. He loves to fish and is a big techie!

Our oldest child is Matthew. He is actually my stepson, but I consider him mine. He is a great guy. Matt works in the Gulf of Mexico capping off oil rigs and taking them apart after the oil companies are finished with them. He is always the life of the party and he loves to make people laugh.

Our middle child is Rory Nicole, she is a 6th grade teacher at Irondale Middle School in Irondale and finishes her masters in Special Ed. this summer ('08). She is an amazing daughter, who brightens up our life with her beautiful smile. She is married to Dewayne. He has been an wonderful addition to our family. He is an electrical engineer with Thompson Tractor. They live about 20 minutes away, so we usually see them every week.

And our youngest daughter is Kimberly. She attends the adult day program at our local UCP and LOVES it!. She has a disorder called, "Rett Syndrome". She is not able to talk or walk, but she can "talk" to you with her eyes. They are very expressive. She has the best giggle on earth. Her favorite things are music and people. Nothing makes her happier than for someone to just sit down and spend some time talking with her. She is our beautiful angel baby.

As you can tell, my family means everything to me. I am so blessed and thank God everyday for the loving, beautiful family he has blessed me with.


My Youngest, Kimberly
 
My Oldest Daughter, Nicole
Our Son, Matthew
 
The Kids... Matt, Nicole & Kimberly (1999)
Matt, Kimberly & Nicole 2004
Nicole and Dewayne on their wedding day.
Our gang a long, long time a ago!
About Rett Syndrome

Rett Syndrome (RS) is a neurological disorder seen almost exclusively in females. The prevalence of RS in females is approximately one in every 10,000-23,000 individuals and is found in all racial and ethnic groups worldwide. It is known that RS can occur in males but is extremely rare. It is named for Dr. Andreas Rett, an Austrian physician who identified the syndrome in 1966, although it remained unknown in the United States until 1983.

Symptoms: RS has its clinical onset in most females between 6-18 months of age. Development to that time appears normal. They then enter a period of regression, losing speech and hand skills they had acquired. Most children develop seizures, repetitive hand movements, irregular breathing and motor-control problems.* A slowing of the rate of head growth also becomes apparent.

Most researchers now agree that RS is a developmental disorder rather than a progressive, degenerative disorder as once thought. Survival into adulthood is now expected barring other illnesses or serious physical complications. Girls and women with RS can be expected to demonstrate a full range of emotions and enjoy satisfying social, recreational, and educational experiences at home and in the community.

Cause: In 1999, a research team led by Dr. Huda Y. Zoghbi of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine identified the cause of Rett Syndrome as a defect in the MECP2 gene on the X chromosome. RS is most often misdiagnosed as autism, cerebral palsy or non-specific developmental delay. Correct diagnosis is essential to receiving quality treatment. It is strongly suggested to parents that a diagnosis should be obtained through a clinical evaluation using agreed upon clinical criteria and clinical severity scales. Genetic testing is now available to confirm the diagnosis.

*Not every child with RS displays all of the symptoms, and individual symptoms may vary in severity.


| Kimberly's Korner || Nicole and Dewayne |
| Rett Angels || Rett Syndrome Angel Calendar || International Rett Sydrome Foundation || ClubRett || Southeastern Rett Syndrome Alliance |

E-mail Me:  rd0127@yahoo.com  || View My Guestbook || Sign My Guestbook |


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