MOEBIUS SYNDROME IN THE NEWS--UK DEPT.
Meet two very brave and determined people--Charlene Crawford, and her son Dillon, from the UK.  Dillon is a young child with Moebius Syndrome; Charlene is his mother.  Read all about their story:
"A mother has spoken of her heartache on discovering that her son suffers from a rare condition that means he can’t blink or smile.
Charlene Crawford, 37, found out fouryear- old Dillon suffered from Moebius Syndrome, a congenital disorder affecting facial expressions, when scans during pregnancy revealed he couldn’t move his face.
When Dillon was born he was immediately put into intensive care and fed through a tube for six months.
As a result of his condition, not only is Dillon unable to blink or smile but he also suffers from a club foot, speech impediment and learning difficulties.
Mrs Crawford from Eagle Drive, Flitwick, still does not know why Dillon has the condition especially as her other child, 19 month-old Jessica, is unaffected.
She said: “Dillon still plays and goes to school but he is very shy and doesn’t have much confidence.
“He asks all the time why he can’t smile because he knows something is wrong with him but Dillon is a very determined little boy who comes out with the funniest things so when he finds something funny he smiles through his eyes or chuckles.” When he was three months old, Dillon’s parents were told he would never be able to walk or talk and would probably only survive six or seven months but when Mrs Crawford got in touch with Scotland-based charity, Moebius Research Trust, staff there assured her he would be all right. Dillon is due to have surgery on his club foot at Bedford Hospital on January 30 and in June his family hope he will undergo an operation to let him smile.
Mrs Crawford said: “It was heartbreaking when they first told me my son would never smile, but if he has this operation it would change his life. Children can be very cruel and he will have to go through enough without being bullied as well.” Currently there is no cure for Moebius Syndrome and it is believed there are only around 200 cases of the condition in the UK.
Although Dillon receives treatment from doctors at Bedford Hospital, the NHS will not fund research into the condition because it is so rare in the UK, meaning Mrs Crawford and the Trust must raise £250,000 so doctors in Scotland who are applying for approval can begin research.
On January 22, a charity walk and fun day will take place to raise funds for the research. To date, the charity has raised around £86,000 toward its target.
The walk will start at The Crown pub in Flitwick, travelling ten miles through Maulden, Ampthill and Westoning before finishing off with a winter BBQ and games back at the pub."

Note that the article suggests there are perhaps 200 persons in the UK with Moebius; interesting.  We are reminded again, too, how innate and strong is the desire to be able to smile, to be able to communicate in that way.  I hope the fund-raising event scheduled for Dillon goes well; we salute both he and his mother, two courageous people.

"Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand
what little chance you have in trying to change others." -Braude