Sunday, July 13, 2008 @10:55 PM
13.7.2008
Another in the Series of *Don't Try Never Know*
We all trooped down to D'Living Room at 69 Pasir Panjang Hill
where Sparkers had a shared experience
We enjoyed a short documentary called
"The Girl who lives in the dark" This little girl from a small remote village in China was afflicted with XP on a large area of her face.
She was rendered blind in one eye and the melanoma has eroded into her orbital and nasal cavities.
Xeroderma pigmentosum, or XP, is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder of DNA repair in which the ability to repair damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light is deficient. This disorder leads to multiple skin malignancies at a young age. In severe cases, it is necessary to avoid sunlight completely. The two most common causes of death for XP victims are metastatic malignant melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
Who was the smart girl who asked the smart question - I think it was Jeanette.
How come the parents are normal. Where did she get the defective gene.(DNA)
Came back to read up.This is the simplified answer. This is an autosaomal recessive disorder.The child inherited 2 recessive genes 'rr'one from each parent. The parents however carry one recessive gene each 'r' and will not manifest the condition.
Amos has this theory. In remote small villages,relatives intermarry.Consanguineous marriages pepetuate the defective gene pool. So it is not without good reason traditional Chinese customs frown on same surname unions.
I walked a mile with pleasure
She chattered all the way
But left me non the wiser
For all she had to say
I walked a mile with sorrow,
And ne'er a word said she;
But, oh, the things I learned from her
When sorrow walked with me
Robert Browning Hamilton
Roman5:3
We can rejoice,too, when we run into problems and trials,for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4And endurance developes strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
I actually discoverd these strange verses in Ecclesiastes7
Wisdom for Life 1.A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.
And the day you die is better than the day you are born.
2.Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.
After all, everyone dies-
so the living should take this to heart.
3.Sorrow is better than laughter,
For sadness has a refining influence on us
4.A wise person thinks alot about death,
while a fool thinks only about having a good time.
*Through suffering we learn to bear pain without complaint;
to endure insult without retaliation;
to suffer shame without bitterness.
become more patient with others
more tolerant of their weaknesses
kinder more gentle
easier to get along with
easier to be around
we learn to deal with discomfort and discontent
we become more considerate, peace-loving
submissive, full of mercy and good fruit
impartial and sincere*
David Roper - Overcoming the obstacles of life