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Hi everyone, I would like to echo Bill Elkus' comments on testing children.
My daughter was biosied under general anaesthetic at 16 months. Was it a
traumatic experience? YOU BET. She was hungry and grumpy, intimidated by
the surroundings and the staff, pricked, poked and prodded by a variety of
strangers, and found the whole experience very distressing. Was the outcome
worth the anguish? ABSOLUTELY! We got the diagnosis to give her the best
chance at a life of normal quality and quantity. I feel sure she had
forgotten the whole thing within a few hours, whereas the memory lingers
for us. I'm sure its a more daunting prospect for a parent because of the
anticipation and the memory. Now we know what the procedure involves, and
we are in the midst of having our 18 month son tested. He has had blood
drawn, and if a biopsy is indicated we wont hesitate to have it done. We
will be scared on his behalf, it will be half a day of stress and trauma
and we will carry the memory forever, but HE wont remember a thing (how
much do you remember from life before about age 4?). At the end of it we
will have an answer which may ultimately save his life. Isn't that thought
alone worth a day or so of parental anxiety?
With best wishes
Phil

Philip Sheard
Developmental Biology Unit,
Department of Physiology,
University of Otago Medical School,
Dunedin, New Zealand.
Ph (64 3) 479-7344
Fax (64 3) 479-7323