Monday, November 23, 2009

Paying it forward

Last night, I had the pleasure of speaking to Ethan Haas, the father of Corey Haas. Corey is the little boy mentioned here in the blog that is the youngest in the world to have received gene therapy and vision restored.

Ethan found my blog and reached out. I went to sleep last night with a much better understanding of not only the procedure, but of the the key names of doctors, research scientists, etc involved in the gene therapy. He mentioned Corey is now playing Little League, and does not need to use his white cane. Many times during our conversation I was moved to tears. The family has hit the nail on the head, and they want to help others just like Corey has been helped. They have helped me gain a better understanding as well as offer a deeper sense of hope for our future. They are now recruiting candidates possibly as young as 4 years old. This is a HUGE change from just a year ago, when I believe the youngest candidate was a teenager or young adult.

We are going to move even more quickly with getting Gavin's blood work done. I see a need to do this sooner rather than later. Just so we know what path we are on with the identified gene. We still do not know what gene Gavin is affected by.

Thank you Ethan. Thank you Haas family for sharing your wealth of knowledge and your son's story not just to me, but to the world. I appreciate your pay it forward attitude, that's what this is all about. Helping one another.

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