My heart is broken, My little angel passed away on May 6, 2011. We all miss her so much.
Scarltett Josephine Martinez
October 2, 2009 - May 6, 2011
Watch videos of Scarlett at: www.youtube.com/user/lovescarlettjo
Thank you for visiting Scarlett's fundraising page! We have met our $1000 goal, a Tay-Sachs research sheep has been named in honor of Scarlett Josephine! The lamb was born on April 14, 2011. Although we have reached OUR personal goal, there still is a need for funding so please continue to donate. Thanks to all of you who have donated so far, there are so many children and their families who are grateful!
Remember that any amount, even a dollar will help bring us closer to a cure for this dreadful disease.
My Granddaughter Scarlett was born on the Feast Day of the Guardian Angels, October 2, 2009. On that wonderful day we did not know that our time with her would be so short. At ten months of age Scarlett was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs Disease, an inherited disorder that has no cure and is always fatal.
Symptoms of TSD first appear at around six months when an apparently healthy, happy baby stops sitting, crawling or turning over, loses the ability to grasp or reach out, and gradually becomes blind, paralyzed and unaware of the surrounding world. Death usually occurs by two or four years of age. (Scarlett passed away at 19 months of age) Babies with TSD are born without a blood chemical that is necessary for breaking down certain fatty deposits in brain and nerve cells. The cells soon become clogged, causing the entire nervous system to stop working.
We love Scarlett so much, more than words can express. I've cried more tears since her diagnoses than all my life before. But along with the tears, Scarlett has given me warmth in my heart and laughter that I would have never known if not for her. She is a special little girl, a living, breathing Angel. It is shameful that there is no treatment or cure for Tay-Sachs, but I believe there could be. Current Gene Therapy research shows that clinical use of this technique is close.
So you ask "What do sheep have to do with Scarlett and Tay-Sachs?"
Tay-Sachs Sheep
Yes, Sheep!
About 10 years ago on St. Jude’s Farm in Texas, farmers Joan and Fred Horak noticed a few of his rare Jacob lambs began to totter, lose mobility and later died. When their veterinarian was mystified, the Horaks, who wanted to get rid of the carriers of this disease, brought the problem to vets at the veterinary medicine school at Texas A & M University. After many years of study it was determined the sheep had Tay-Sachs!
Tay-Sachs sheep have great potential to advance research for a cure because their brains are close to human size.
Joan and Fred Horak continue to breed the Tay-Sachs sheep to support research at considerable personal expense.
The Tay-Sachs Gene Therapy Consortium ( http://www.tsgtconsortium.com ) is especially interested in the sheep because they are an excellent intermediary step between cats and humans.
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
Click on the link to the upper left to learn more about what your donation will fund.
Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!