What is Fragile X?
What is Fragile X?
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On February 18, 1993 Patrick Vershbow was born to Jim and Pamela Vershbow. The couple, now married two years and living in a quiet suburban neighborhood of Boston, were one step closer to completing their idyllic American dream life. Of special pride to Jim, Patrick was the first boy born into the family from he or his brothers. Pam, like many mothers left her job to stay home with her newborn son, while Jim continued to work as a high school math teacher and athletic coach. With help from their parents, Dan and Ruth Vershbow and Ann and Johnie Whitney, the couple was able to comfortably raise Patrick.
Patrick's grandparents were always there to help with his care and to reassure new parents Pam and Jim that Patrick's inability to sleep through the night was something all children go through. They were there again to calm Pam's worries about Patrick not yet walking like the other kids his age had begun to do, explaining that all children develop differently. But when Patrick still had not spoken, Pam and Jim decided it was time to go to the doctor for advise. After being referred to a developmental pediatrician at the Children's Floating hospital in Boston, Patrick had a series of tests performed on him. Doctor after doctor entered and kept measuring Patrick's head, which baffled Pam and Jim, and samples of blood were drawn, which aggravated Patrick. After several long weeks the results of the tests came back: Patrick had Fragile X Syndrome, a genetically inherited cause of metal retardation. But even more devastating than the diagnosis, and even harder to understand than how something like this could happen to them, was the doctors inability to explain what Fragile X Syndrome is or how it would affect Patrick.
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