'An Early Diagnosis May Have Saved His Life,' A Detroit Mom Working To Raise Awareness About Rare Marfan Syndrome

(CBS DETROIT)- When Keri Wallace's son Maurice was 9, the family received news that would forever change their lives.

"We wonder why we see a lot of these children passing out on the fields or on basketball courts it's just like they're healthy my child is fine, we thought the same thing," Detroiter Keri Wallace said during an interview Monday.

Active and energetic as a toddler the Wallace's didn't think anything was abnormal about their son Maurice, until a few things started to occur that raised concern.

First his vision, by age 2 he was in bi-focal glasses, and bi-focal contacts by age 5. Also noticed he was much taller than his peers, and a few other symptoms, they were referred to a Cardiologist.

"They saw that his heart valve was enlarged for his age and that he had Mitral Valve Prolapse as well, we went on to the geneticists, had a genetic test done, found out he had the gene for Marfan syndrome," Wallace said.

About 1 in 5,000 people have Marfan syndrome. The typically genetic disorder affects the body's connective tissue and can affect the heart and blood vessels, bones and joints, eyes, skin and lungs. Maurice has the physical appearance, tall, slim with long limbs, but no everyone does.

"Once I got to learn more, I understood, I was still kind of upset but at least I knew I wasn't the only one on the planet that had this heart condition," said Maurice Wallace Jr. who was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome at age 9.

Now 21 Maurice says catching Marfan early may have saved his life. Unfortunately, he can no longer play contact sports due to the possibility of sudden cardiac death.

He and his mom hoping to getting out the message about recognizing the signs during February which is Marfan Syndrome Awareness Month.

For more information and to learn about the signs of Marfan syndrome.

Click the link below.
https://marfan.org/conditions/marfan-syndrome/
 

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