At that point I still believed Gregory's diagnosis and resolution would be fast and painless. Like other metabolic diseases, it is inherited, in that both mother and father carry the recessive trait for the disease. We are all carriers of something, and the odds us meeting, getting married, having children, and, both being carriers of the same recessive genetic disorder are not high. When this disease is discovered in infancy, as Gregory was, it is always a more severe form of the disease, referred to as Gaucher Type 3. At this point, it was explained, researchers were somewhat limited in their understanding of the disease.
Life is unpredictable.
A major tragedy in the health of our son. Gregory was a perfectly healthy little boy, except for this one enzyme. This enzyme helps to eliminate from the body, worn-out or dying cells. Without the enzyme, or a high enough amount of it, these cells are not broken down and rid from the body. The result, they accumulate in various parts of the body and cause problems.