Ask Linda Anything!

Must the Second Child Die Too!
Submitted By Anonymous

I have to pass this email on because you may know someone who has an answer for this mom. It took me 5 minutes to read and add this to my blog so maybe you can cut, paste and send to your contacts and see if we can come up with a miracle. Thank you, Linda!

"My name is Natalie Wallace and I am writing on behalf of my children.

My son, Benjamin, desperately needs your help. He is 1 ½ years old and is battling a rare, unknown disease. We have been trying to find a diagnosis for quite some time and are becoming more frustrated with each day. Ben was 6 months old when the symptoms first appeared. He had been sick with a cold, which then escalated into a fever. It was quickly discovered that he was suffering from the same, undiagnosed disease as his older brother, Zachary, who has since passed away.

Due to the low platelets in Benjamin’s blood, seemingly destroyed by virus or bacteria, he lost his sight. It has been one year since his vision became impaired, and although it is slowly returning, he is still struggling. We almost lost him several times over the passed year and have been in and out of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia since he was 6 months old. He needed Aphaeresis three times during every episode. In addition, he suffered two seizures during two of his episodes. Currently, he receives quite a bit of medicines including Steroids, Antibiotics and Blood Pressure medication, along with vitamins to boost his immune system. He also receives Fresh Frozen Plasma intravenously each week.

My first son, Zachary, was born in January 2001, and went paralyzed and blind when he was two. He tragically passed away in January 2005 to the same, unknown disease. He was just 4 years old and I don’t think I have to tell you what a horrific and sad day this was for me and my family. It has been two long years since I held my precious boy. Not a day goes by where I don’t think about him and the lively sprit he had. We should all have such a spirit. Those who knew him were truly blessed…I was truly blessed. After Zach’s passing, we started a non-profit organization in his name to help other families who have children with special needs. We have raised a lot of money and have been able to help several families in our area.

I was two months pregnant with Ben when Zach passed away. When Ben starting showing signs of the same disease that Zach suffered with, it was determined that this disease must be genetic. It was also determined that it was genetic through males, as I also have a 4 year old daughter, Olivia, who, with the blessings of God, is healthy.

We have contacted several people all over the world and no one seems to know what we are dealing with. We believe that, in order to get the proper diagnosis, we need our story to get some exposure. We are hoping that, by reaching out to you, we can get our story on T.V. with the hope and prayer that someone will see it and offer us some light at the end of the tunnel. Children’s Hospital is at a stand still and DuPont in DE is stumped too.
We have traveled to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota back in 2003 with our son Zach and they, too, were unable to make a definitive diagnosis.

I need the public to help my son, as we do not want to lose him like we lost Zach. I am still grieving my little boy and will continue to do so for the rest of my life. I do not want to let Benjamin down and owe it to him and his Big Brother to find out what happened to the boys. I beg you, for my children, to help us. If there is anything at all you could do, please contact me.

I thank you in advance for taking the time to read my story."
Sincerely,
Natalie Wallace
109 Clemens Circle
Norristown, PA19403


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