Eleven-year-old Christine Honeycutt never envisioned a lifetime of disability and neurological damage. Diagnosed with an unusual autoimmune disorder called Parry-Romberg syndrome, the left side of Honeycutt’s face stopped developing when she was five years old. CNN reports that through plastic surgery and immunosuppressant drugs, Christine Honeycutt may be able to live with her Parry-Romberg. Article resource – Surgery saves girl’s face from Parry-Romberg syndrome by MoneyBlogNewz.
When seeing a slim line, Parry-Romberg syndrome was unexpected
When Honeycutt was five, a line appeared down the middle of her forehead. Friends told her it was ink while her parents assumed it was a bruise. When the mark was still there after a few weeks, Christine’s mother took her to see a doctor, who prescribed a cream to treat the "discoloration.".
After five months, the line became more pronounced. The Honeycutt’s moved from Charlotte, N.C., to southern California so Christine could see a specialist. The Honeycutt’s were given the advice to keep Christine out of the sun though which they had heard before. Before first grade even began, Honeycutt was having violent seizures. These were accompanied by weight gain and fevers. The right side of her face appeared normal, however the left side was swollen. Her face has a symmetry start to develop. A few years later, Parry-Romberg syndrome would be what she is diagnosed with, in 2008.
One in a million are afflicted by Parry-Romberg syndrome
The extremely uncommon autoimmune condition Parry-Romberg syndrome (aka progressive facial hemiatrophy) is found in only one in 1 million individuals, most commonly in females. Some believe Lincoln may have had the disorder. The left side of Christine Honeycutt was hurt with her immune system. Her face was where this was seen most clearly. The "coup de sabre" or "cut of saber" was the line down Christine's forehead making it look like a sword cut her there. When looking at Parry-Romberg syndrome photos on the Internet, it looked alike.
"There were horrifying pictures,” said Vicki Honeycutt, Christine’s mother. "One side [of a patient's face] was a skeleton and the other side wasn’t."
Cure will not happen, but remedies and surgical procedure can help out
There is no cure for Parry-Romberg syndrome. Honeycutt has had to have facial rebuilding surgical procedure and immune suppressant drugs to help. She has gotten closer to normal with the Extensive plastic surgery done taking seven hours to complete. Christine has been able to go to school even though there is a little bit of swelling still.
“I like my nose better now,” she said.
Citations
CNN
cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/02/25/surgery.parry.romberg.disorder/
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
ninds.nih.gov/disorders/parry_romberg/parry_romberg.htm
PRS Resource
prsresource.com/
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