My sister has Goldenhar Syndrome and I love her more than anything in the world, and I was just wondering how many other people here have siblings or relatives/friends with Diabilities, I dont mean disabilities such as arthritis in the ankle or anything, I mean birth defects and such, like Down syndrome. I would just be interested in knowing how common they are and how people deal with it, as I know that it can be very difficult at times to cope with it.
The link above gives a brief explanation of the syndrome, but doesnt explain all other possible defects.
For those interested, here is a picture of my sister.
She doesnt look it, but she turns 16 in a couple of weeks, as dad says, "it doesnt bother me, we can get her into the movies cheaper" :D
http://img62.exs.cx/img62/6062/Taryn.jpg
And if your one of those people who think people with these defects shouldnt be part of society, please dont add anything to this thread.

Hive man, shes beautiful. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. If they do, shoot them in the face. Give her a big happy birthday from us at IW k?

As for disabilities... well... my family is pretty lucky in that respect. Except for my brother who at 18 is still acting like a moody pubescent 13 year old, and probably will for the next decade [img]smile.gif[/img]

Hehehe, I will.
As for your brother, nothing wrong with a bit of immaturity. :D Well to an extent....

Disabilities? Well, my family is plagued with them in the mental regard. My relatives have a lot ranging from depression to schizophrenia. Not the best things to have, let me assure you.

[ 10-10-2004, 10:32 AM: Message edited by: Gangrell ]

Nothing that i know of really..

Oh she nice to me. My cousin's father has Alzheimer's syndrome. (The thing that Muhammed Ali has)

My grandfather died from Alzheimer's syndrome a couple of years ago, which has made my parents regularly do charity events to raise money for research into Alzheimer's. We didn't take his death too badly as we knew very well that it was coming. In fact, you can't help but giggle at a few things that people with that syndrome have [img]smile.gif[/img] . We just tried to make the most of his last days.

Wow, you're right - she doesn't really look 16, does she? Still, she looks great; I wish you, her and your family good luck [img]smile.gif[/img]

Curious, what's the difference between Multiple Personality Disorder, and Schizophrenia? I've always heard them described as if they were very similar.
Speaking of shooting people in the face, what are the gun laws in Austrailia? :D

Schizophrenia is where you see things that aren't there, have delusions or hallucinations, your mind can convince you of something that's not real. Having multiple personalities means just that, having more than one personality.

On the mental health issue, multiple personality disorder generally results from a case of severe abuse, usually sexual (if I remember everything correctly), making it "environmentally" caused. Schizophrenia, I believe, can be inherited, but cannot be caused simply by environment. Also, MPD I think is treated with behavioral therapy, while schizophrenia is primarily managed by medication. Unfortunately, many schizophrenics have difficulty staying on the medications, I believe due to side effects or the fact that when they are on medication, they quit believing that they have a problem and therefore don't see the need to take the medication. Then violent behavior may erupt.

No major genetic or other defects in our family. I'd never heard of Goldenhar syndrome before, but there are a lot of different things that can happen either as a result of genetic mutations or in this case as a result of problems during embryo development.

And for an interesting aside, I just read a book on morning sickness (entitled "Pregnancy Sickness") written by a biologist, who suggests that morning sickness is hugely useful to propagation of the species, in that its purpose is to protect the embryo from toxins in vegetables and bacterial spoilage in meat. During the first 12 weeks past conception is when the embryo develops all its organs and systems, and if too many toxins are consumed, defects will occur. The food aversions, sensitized sense of smell, and nausea that pregnant women experience in the first trimester serve the purpose of actually stopping them from eating vegetables or meats, which hold toxins for the embryo. It was a fascinating book. Margie Proffet, I think, was the author.