Skip to main content

He Ain't Heavy, He Ain't My Brother

The road is long
With many a winding turn
He ain't heavy, he ain't my brother


CHOP called today with our genetic test results. I felt like a first time mother waiting for the doctor to call with the big news. After all, we have The Crowley Pompe Connection going. We share the very rare "null gene" that produces no enzyme and according to Genzyme we belong to a very elite club. What a story to tell the grandkids!

But, then the genetic counselor said those words, "Well, you are not related to the other Crowleys!". What? How can this be? All my life I've considered myself a bit of a mutant. But, NO, Donna has to take center stage again and have the "null gene". All I am left with is an intronic splice at the sixth position. I mean come on!

So, I picked up my pride and listened on. The tests confirmed Maddie did receive one defective gene from each of us as expected. What's next? Now Carter and Emma will be examined and tested to see if they are carriers. This will come in the next few weeks.

And the load
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy he ain't my brother


Thanks for checking in with us,
Matt

Credit to: The Hollies, "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"

Comments

  1. You guys just inspire us. Love you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. One of my favorite things about the Crowley family is that you all have this uncanny ability to find the humor in everything! Maddie always approaches things with kindness, fairness and a smile. We can all learn a lot from Miss Maddie. Smile on!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I believe intronic splice at the sixth position gives one a good sense of humor

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good luck to Carter and Emma. I know they are carriers of good looks.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The New Adventure

Madeline Jane Crowley is an 11 year old girl living in suburban Philadelphia who was diagnosed with Juvenile Pompe Disease on November 18, 2009. Maddie is a vibrant child filled with humor, energy, and wonder. She believes in her family, friends, doctors, and the magic that can happen when people dare to believe. Her care is being lead by Dr. Bonnemann MD, Asst. Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and includes a team consisting of a Genetic Counselor, Physical Therapist, Clinical Trial Specialist, Nutritionist and many others. Maddie will begin treatment with Genzyme's Myozyme drug in January 2010. What this means, we don't know. But we do know that our family and loved ones will support her every step of the way. Whatever happens we will fight for our daughter and will succeed in helping her and many others battling this disease. All for one, and one for all! Sincerely, Matthew and Donna Crowley

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack, I don't care if I never get back, Let me root, root, root for the home team, If they don't win it's a shame. For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out, At the old ball game. I can’t recall if it was the smell of freshly cut grass or the unique sound made when a baseball meets a wood bat, but as we climbed the stairs onto the field it was clear that this was a day to remember. Like most boys my age in California, I never heard of lacrosse, rugby, or that crazy sport those Europeans call football. I played baseball. Whether it was an organized community game, a pickup game before school at St. Angela’s, Over the Line with my two brothers at the park, or the non-stop two-seam fastballs that hit the garage door over and over and over, I loved the game. As a young kid my heroes were Davey Lopes, Steve Garvey, and Ron Cey. I remember sitting in the stands above Ch...

California Dreaming

All the leaves are brown, And the sky is grey, I've been for a walk, On a winter's day I'd be safe and warm, If I was in L.A., California Dreamin' On such a winter's day Last Sunday, Emma boarded a plane to Sunny California with my sister and niece. She is having a great time enjoying the So Cal beaches, great Mexican food, San Diego, shopping, Los Angeles, In-N-Out Burger, Santa Barbara, and most important...family. On Tuesday she'll take her first flight alone and be home just in time for treatment. On August 1st last year we had just returned home from two great weeks in California topped off by my nephew's wedding in Santa Barbara. To remember the trip I sat down with Donna and created a video to share some great photos from our vacation. This was before we knew anything about muscle biopsies, genetic testing, Pompe disease, or Myozyme. It was also before this blog, our wonderful doctors, and the love and support of many friends. Yes...