Dec 1, 2006 4:23 pm US/Central
Family Seeks Answers To Boy's Mystery Illness
by Bridgette Bornstein
(WCCO)
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Zach West is now 6-years-old. He's going blind. He can't talk or even crawl. His feet get so cold that he gets frostbite sores indoors, but doctors don't know why.
CBS
A Twin Cities family is on a desperate search for answers. Their little boy is fighting for his life and doctors can't figure out why.
When little Zach West was born, his family was so happy to have such a healthy little boy.
"Zach was just a normal little boy. One of my biggest memories, he was in the bathtub and he goes, 'all done momma, all done,'" said Zach's mother Rachele LaCount.
Zach West seemed to be a perfectly healthy baby.
But at 17-months-old, Zach developed odd symptoms -- the way he walked and the way his eyes moved.
He saw doctor after doctor.
"You go from one minute just having a perfect little boy to struggling everyday for his life, and that's what Zach does -- Zach is fighting for his life," said LaCount.
Zach is now 6-years-old. He's going blind. He can't talk or even crawl. His feet get so cold that he gets frostbite sores indoors, but doctors don't know why.
"It's definitely a mystery. Doctors always go, 'there's my mystery boy,'" said LaCount.
"To find an answer, we've been trying and it's really been elusive. We have not been able to find an answer," said immunologist Dr. Ralph Shapiro.
"One of the questions Rachele asked me just last week was, 'At what point do you stop looking and at what point do you stop trying,' said Nurse Practitioner Kristin Epland. "I said, 'You have a six year old, you don't stop."
Zach's family wants him to experience everything possible. He plays t-ball, sled hockey and mom just signed him up for downhill skiing.
"We feel like we're cramming so much in such a short time, like it's a race against time," said LaCount.
It's a desperate hunt for the answers that could save Zach's life.
"He probably has just a few years left, but I was also told that a couple years ago, and he's still here and he's still fighting, so we're going to fight for him," said LaCount.
Doctors do know Zach has some sort of mitochondrial disease, but that doesn't cover all his symptoms. There's something else at play here.
Zach's Mom hopes they can travel to Atlanta soon where there are some upcoming drug trials that might help her son.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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