Caden needs your help
The disease has no cure, however several treatments are in place to lessen the symptoms.
Seven-year-old Caden Benjamin has been diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS).
PWS is a rare genetic disorder in which seven genes are deleted or unexpressed on the paternal chromosome.
Characteristics of PWS are low muscle tone, short stature, con-genitive disability, problem behaviours and a chronic feeling of hunger that can lead to excessive eating and life threatening obesity, all of which Caden suffers from.
The disease has no cure, however several treatments are in place to lessen the symptoms.
Ms Zola Benjamin, Caden’s mother, is a single parent, with the father allegedly leaving after she fell pregnant.
She lives with her parents and finds it hard to cope with all the medical expenses.
There is pressure being put on Caden’s heart and lungs due to his weight of 58kg, so he has to sleep upright and makes use of an oxygen tank to breathe at night.
He is also on heavy medication, which makes him drowsy and tired most of the time.
Caden must also consult a psychiatrist to deal with personal issues. Hearts4Standerton has sponsored the breathing apparatus, clothes and half the petrol to Steve Biko Academic Hospital, which Caden frequents three times a month because our local hospital does not not have the facilities to deal with his predicament.
Caden must also undergo an operation on 19 June to replace the existing tube in his oesophagus with a bigger one, which helps him breathe because the muscles in the neck can not function properly on their own.
Ms Benjamin said that according to his doctors, his condition could force him in the near future into a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
If anyone can help in any way, contact Ms Benjamin at 072 292 5010.
