Canavan's disease, also called spongy brain degeneration, destroys myelin, the insulating sheath surrounding nerve cells. The myelin disintegrates so thoroughly that the brain's electrical signals cannot sweep along nerve processes properly, thereby thwarting the development of virtually every function controlled by the nervous system. Such that messages are sent but never received because the bridge is broken. Children with Canavan's cannot sit, walk, or talk and most die before the age of 5. While other parents watch the progress and developmental strides and enjoy the nachas of the first babblings, the first wary steps, the joy of a smile, parents of children with Canavan's watch their children die.
Cystic fibrosis is the number one genetic killer of children.
CF is a debilitating disease inherited from parents with recessive CF genes and results in the body producing atypical amounts of thick, sticky mucus that clog the lungs and pancreas, interfering with breathing and digestion. Symptomatology is characterized by persistent cough, recurrent wheezing, having pneumonia more than once, excessive appetite but poor weight gain, salty-tasting skin. CF is diagnosed by measuring salt content in sweat. The recurrence of the CF gene is not reserved to the Ashkenazi population however it is a preponderant disease found among white populations. The average lifespan is 21 years, however, some victims survive to age thirty-five or so.