A diagnosis “terrifying”. Because the parents have discovered that their two children will have to struggle with seizures, slow development and dementia childhood due to a rare disease. When Kristian Tucker, 31, and Bryden Tucker, 34, welcomed their third child in 2021, they were overjoyed. Michael, however, who is now 6 years old, has begun to show signs of delay.
Father Kristian Tucker, of Spokane, Washington, told Newsweek that Michael’s seizures began at age 3 and “got worse as he got older.” The drugs didn’t work, leaving doctors puzzled as to what the condition might be.
In February, the results of a genetic test led to the diagnosis, resigning Michael to a short and difficult life marked by developmental delays, loss of motor skills and cognitive decline that led to dementia at an early age. “After genetic testing, we were told that Michael had Batten disease type 2 in April 2023.
We had never heard of this before but I was horrified. When we first found out, they told us the average lifespan is 8 to 12 years,” Tucker said. “I couldn’t believe that she would only have a couple of years left with my baby and that she would be in so much pain.”
The diagnosis shocked the Tucker family, but they didn’t have time to think about the repercussions before they were hit by the next blow. Michael’s two siblings, Talia, 4, and Oliver, 21 months, also had to be tested for the disease, as it is not uncommon for the disease to affect multiple siblings. In May 2023, a month after discovering Michael’s fate, the Tucker family is once again devastated to discover that Oliver also carries the gene.
Source : IL Messaggero
