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Guidelines for sites linking to mayoclinic.orgG21 - May 2006 - POEMS Syndrome
Intro: Imagine being diagnosed with a disease so rare that some doctors don't even know it exists. An estimated 100 people in the United States have what's called POEMS syndrome -- a disease that slowly robs you of your ability to walk, see or feed yourself. In addition to being rare, it's also hard to diagnose because symptoms mimic other conditions. More on a lifesaving treatment from Mayo Clinic.
| Video | Audio |
| Total running time 1:31 | "ARE YOU ALL DRESSED UP FOR GRANDMA?" |
| EVERY TIME CYNTHIA FARMER CRADLES 3-WEEK-OLD AIDEN SHE FEELS BLESSED. | |
Cynthia Farmer |
"I'M ABLE TO FEED HIM, DRESS HIM, CHANGE HIM, DO ALL THE THINGS THAT HE NEEDS." |
| AND THAT IS A MIRACLE TO CYNTHIA BECAUSE ... | |
| Cynthia Farmer | "THREE YEARS AGO I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HOLD HIM" |
| OR TAKE CARE OF HIM. THREE YEARS AGO CYNTHIA COULDN'T TAKE CARE OF HERSELF. | |
| Cynthia Farmer | "I BEGAN TO LOSE MY VISION. I COULDN'T FEED MYSELF, HAD A TREMOR THAT WAS SO BAD I COULDN'T DRESS MYSELF." |
| FOR TWO YEARS CYNTHIA LIVED WITHOUT KNOWING WHY HER BODY WAS FAILING. DESPERATE FOR ANSWERS SHE WENT TO MAYO CLINIC WHERE DR. GERARDO COLON-OTERO MADE THE RARE DIAGNOSIS. POEMS SYNDROME - A BLOOD DISORDER CAUSED BY ... | |
Gerardo Colon-Otero, M.D. |
"ABNORMAL PLASMA CELLS THAT PRODUCE A PROTEIN THAT CAUSES DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS." |
Symptoms:
|
THE PROTEIN PROMPTS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM TO ATTACK ITSELF, CAUSING SYMPTOMS THAT INCLUDE NERVE DAMAGE, WEAKNESS, LIVER PROBLEMS, SKIN PROBLEMS AND VISION LOSS. MEDICATIONS MAY HELP, BUT WHAT SAVED CYNTHIA'S LIFE WAS A STEM CELL TRANSPLANT. |
Standup |
DOCTORS USED CHEMOTHERAPY TO WIPE OUT CYNTHIA'S BONE MARROW, WHICH IS THE SUBSTANCE THAT PRODUCES BLOOD. THEN THEY INJECTED STEM CELLS THAT REPLENISHED A HEALTHY BLOOD SUPPLY. |
| Cynthia Farmer | "AND THEN IT WAS LIKE WAKING UP OUT OF A DREAM. EVERY DAY GOT BETTER AND BETTER." |
| CYNTHIA WENT FROM NEEDING CONSTANT CARE TO BEING A CAREGIVER. FOR TINY AIDEN. AND FOR HERSELF. | |
| FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS. | |
Tag: Cynthia still uses a wheelchair and a walker because her legs are weak. She says dealing with a rare blood disorder like POEMS syndrome isn't the party in life she wanted to attend, but as long as she's here she's going to dance. We can all learn a lot from Cynthia. For more information, log on to our Web site at ...
STATIONS: Per the licensing agreement, please provide a link from your station's Web site to www.mayoclinic.org/medical-edge or voice tag "mayoclinic.org/medical-edge" for more information.
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