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| Michael and Cindy Stanton were blessed with the birth of their first child, a beautiful daughter on Christmas Eve 2000. The birth was easy and the joy from their baby so great, they decided to immediately expand their family. Five months later, Cindy was pregnant again. By the time Cindy was six months pregnant, their daughter exhibited low muscle tone. They went to several specialist doctors raising concerns about the second pregnancy but in the absence of any concrete diagnosis they were advised to proceed with the pregnancy. |
| Michael and Cindy Stanton were blessed with the birth of their first child, a beautiful daughter on Christmas Eve 2000. The birth was easy and the joy from their baby so great, they decided to immediately expand their family. Five months later, Cindy was pregnant again. By the time Cindy was six months pregnant, their daughter exhibited low muscle tone. They went to several specialist doctors raising concerns about the second pregnancy but in the absence of any concrete diagnosis they were advised to proceed with the pregnancy. |
| In March of 2002, their son was born. Shortly after, their worst fears were realized as their son developed identical problems. By the end of 2002, it was discovered both children were afflicted with a rare and serious genetic leukodystrophy disease, which affects the myelin sheath in the brain. Although Cindy was completely healthy, she was somehow a carrier of the disease. The condition which doctors said could be fatal, affects the children's ability to control their muscles and all coordination functions. Cindy and Michael moved to Connecticut from New York City, and invested heavily in physical therapy. Their children, who are now 5½ and 4, have improved greatly, though they can only walk with canes. |
| Cindy and Michael decided to have a third child, but could not risk having another child afflicted with the same disease. Through research the Stantons learned about PGD and IVF, and discovered that only one PGD lab in America, located in Chicago, had experience in developing a genetic probe for this type of leukodystrophy disease. The Stantons sought the assistance of Dr. Michael Doyle and Connecticut Fertility Associates. Dr. Doyle was, "hopeful that we could help the Stantons achieve their goal of a healthy baby. On Cindy's first cycle 23 eggs were retrieved, but only one healthy embryo remained after the PGD testing, which was transferred. |
| Now a year later, Cindy and Michael are happy to share the great news, "Dr. Doyle understood our concerns and most importantly agreed to help and work with the PGD lab in Chicago. That single embryo resulted in a successful pregnancy. Our miracle child, a healthy baby boy, was born on June 22, 2006". Genetic testing has confirmed that the baby has no trace of the gene, and there is no risk of developing the disease. |
| Read about PGD HERE. |
