Jake’s birthday fundraiser was a hit. Together, with the help of our friends and family, we were able to raise a total of $700.00 for Cure CMD. We raffled 5 gift baskets and held a silent auction with custom-labeled wine to represent Jake and Cure CMD. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen. A BIG thank you to Patti for coming all the way from New York to help sell raffle tickets and to Dr. Frans of the Autism Clinics for sponsoring the bounce house.

Jake’s actual birthday was Christmas Eve. He turned six and got sick at the same time. He spent the day battling a high fever and then a stomach bug on Christmas Day. He’s a fighter so it didn’t bring him down enough to ignore his birthday gifts. Thankfully he has made a full recovery and is now back to being Jake!

We had a visit with Jake’s Neurologist office and saw a new doctor. She explained to us that Jake’s last MRI from 2005 showed an increase in the ventricular cavity. She suggested that we get an MRI to see if cavity has increased. If so, it could be a contributing factor to the head banging. An enlarged ventricular cavity could cause extreme pressure resulting in pain or headaches. The MRI will be performed in January. We are thankful to have another option in our quest to greaten Jake’s quality of life.

Have you ever wondered if some things happen for a reason? Well, we've considered HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment) in the past for Jake. For a number of reasons, we were unable to pursue it. Last week, a gentlemen approached us and inquired about Jake. After learning about him, he explained that his uncle has a Hyperbaric Oxygen chamber and let's special needs kids use it for free. Depending on the outcome of the MRI, we may pursue HBOT very soon. Jake is certainly strong enough to walk, but lacks the coordination to do so. HBOT can awaken "sleeping" brain cells and patients can improve significantly. More to come on this subject in a future newsletter.

Thank you for continuing to support Jake and the people at Cure CMD who are trying to find a treatment or cure his disease. We appreciate all of you and we wish you all a very Happy New Year!