Classifieds 986-6222 Office, Editorial 985-2137

NEWS photo Stuart Davis

WAITING FOR bone marrow transplants are Deep Cove sisters Melissa (left)
and Rachel Badger. Melissa, 5, and Rachel, 7, have metachromatic
* feukodystrophy — a rare genetic disorder that is fatal. Their parents,

Jeanette and Steve Badger, are hoping bone marrow donors that ‘‘match’’
their two daughters will be found. The Canadian Red Cross Society's
Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry is holding donor information ses-
sions at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. June 26 at recCentre Deibrook.

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Diana Becker of the
Dubrulle School

High Profiles: 30

52 pages ase

Fatal bone-marrow disease
diagnosed in Deep Cove girls

TWO DEEP Cove parents are appealing to North Shore
residents to consider segisteriug as bone-marrow donors
after a rare and fatal genetic disease was diagnosed in two
of their three young daughters in March,

Jeanette and Steve Badger
decided to go public with their
story to raise awareness about the
Canadian Red Cross Society's
Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor
Registry which is searching for
potential donors who could be a
**match’’ for the Badgers’ daugh-
ters, Rachel, 7, and Melissa, 5.

The Badger girls were found
earlier this spring to have
metachromatic leukodystrophy —
a genetic disorder that leads to the
deterioration of the nerves and
brain due to the lack of enzyme in
the bone.

The disease, which Steve Badger
describes as ‘‘very. very, very
care,’’ resulted when two recessive
genes matched up in cach of the
Badger girl's genetic makeup;
Steve and Jeanette Badger both
carry one of the recessive genes.

“We have the worst of the
worst. We have a disease which is
degenerative and which will keep
on going and being degenerative
and we have two children with it.
It is very hard to take, very
tough,” said Steve Badger,

Last fall the Badgers first notic-
ed Rachel was having problems
walking: Rachel's school was also

concerned about her academic
progress.
“It had come about because

Rachel had stumbled and fell. Her
walk was starting to get a gail to
it, a specific gait almost like a ce-
rebral palsy gait.” he said.

But Jeanette Badger said she
and her husband made excuses,
thinking that perhaps Rachel's
growth was exceeding her motor
skills.

From there, ‘it, was just a hor-
rible sequence of events,’ Steve
said.

In February, the Badgers had
bought a house with a pool for
their three blond daughters to play
in.

“We had three weeks of hap-
piness. The week prior to Easter
we found out. We found out
Thursday prior to Good Friday
and on Good Friday we moved. It
was just a hell of a weeko’ he
said.

Exhaustive testing showed
Rachel did not have a brain tumor
as initially suspected but
metachromatic leukodystrophy:
further testing resealed =  thiet
Melissa is also a carrier and will
develop the disease. although she
does net yet show its effeers,

Since that devustauag blow in
Mareh, the Badgers have been at-

By Elizabeth Collings
News Reparter

tempting to educate themselves
about the disease — a difficult
task because it is so rare — and to
determine their options.

While a bone-marrow transplant
(BMT) will not provide a cure for
Rachel and Melissa, it can help
with metabolic diseases such is
the one they have. A BMT would
give the girls the missing enzyme
they need and would eventually
halt the progress of the disease,

Said Jeanette Badger: ‘‘We're
waiting for marrow donors to
match. Carrie, our youngest —
heathy -- is not a match so un-
fortusutely she can’t be a donor.
We had a lot of hopes that,

number two, that she would help
one of them, but she is not able to
help either."’

While the chances of a sibling
bone-marrow match are one in
four, the chances of matching an
unrelated donor mushroom, rang-
ing from one in 450 to one in
750,000.

The Badgers are now holding
on to the hope that the B.C.
Unrelated Bone Murrow Donor
Registry will lind a match for
their (eo daughters.

Consequently, Jeunette Badger
said. they would like £0 see more
active recruitment of potential
donors and are encouraged that
the Unrelated Bone Marrow
Donor Registry is holding two in-
formation sessions Wednesday
night at recCentre Delbrook.

Since the traunratic discovery of
Rachel's and Melissa's disease, the
Badgers credit the community —
the girls’ school, their church and
the health department — with
helping them cope.

“You can exist in the communi-
ty for a long time and not really
know what's there, the services
and the help. But when vou get in
a situation such ay dus. is amas.
ing how much people and the ser-
vices that are there it’s just
support.’ said Steve Badger.

“PE think, r00," Jeanette Badger
added." we're very fortuntate to
be in North Vancouver because |
think the North Shore is a very
tight-knit) community and as a
result of that, we all stand behind
each other and help each other."

EVERY DOOR ON THE NORTH SHORE SINCE 1969