Sobs of Budoy’s mom caught my attention the other night. I am not a fan. I only watch it when the TV in the living room or in the kitchen are turned on by chance. And I don’t even literally watch it. I just listen. My hands and my eyes will always be busy with something else.
Budoy has the ‘happy puppet’ syndrome or what is known as the Angelman syndrome. It’s a neuro-genetic disorder illustrating a happy demeanor – jerky movements, frequent smiling – and intellectual delays. Budoy’s story is fiction but almost similar situations happen in real life – excluding the cerebral phenomenon he’s gone through.
People with Angelman syndrome are sometimes called angels because of their youthful and happy moods. We (in our family) also have an Angel. Like Budoy, she’s also in a special circumstance being with a Down syndrome. Despite the condition, she can help with the house chores and makes Mom and Dad always feel young.
Four years ago, I had the same heart-breaking sobs like Budoy’s mom. Sobs that almost literally pierced through my aorta. Sobs of regret and disappointment. My blood test resulted to a positive amount of toxoplasma gondii.
Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite caused by warm-blooded animals like cats. Human can get infected by eating or drinking contaminated food or drink, eating unwashed fruits and vegetables, using contaminated kitchen utensils and through contact or by ingestion of cat's feces.
A pregnant woman infected with toxoplasma gondii may spread to the developing baby during the pregnancy, during labor or delivery. This may sound alarming but the worst case scenario is having a baby with hydrocephalus, severe visual disability, severe mental retardation or other neurological problems.
Causes of Down and Angelman syndromes may both have something to do with chromosomes which is way beyond human control; but the misery, pain and suffering of the child and the parents are not different from those who will have evidences of the toxoplasmosis infection. Well, there’s hope. Because causes of toxoplasmosis could actually be put off. A healthy food intake and a hygienic environment should do the trick.
Anyhow, in God’s grace, my almost-toxoplasmosis-infected baby will turn 4 soon. Err, technically, she’ll be turning 1 this year, as having her born on a leap year, 29th of February at 1:43 PM, the time that He chose to make me feel His unconditional love and presence.
I have 4 cats, and I am also responsible for cleaning after them. So far, all my blood tests did not show signs of toxoplasmosis, thank god. Leap year baby pala c miel, ngayon pa lang mag 1 :)
ReplyDeletegood that you personally take care of your cats. i was told the carriers of the gondii were commonly stray cats. :) yes, mag-1 pa lang si miel this year.
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