The day after Kelli Guillory was born, she stopped breathing twice.
The code blues were terrifying experiences for her mother, Jennifer
Guillory. But the medical professionals weren’t sure why baby Kelli was
having trouble.
It wasn’t until Kelli was out of intensive care and following up with their pediatrician that Jennifer finally heard of very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCAD, pronounced V-L cad), the condition with which Kelli, who turns 11 this month, is living.
Because of the rare genetically inherited disease, Kelli’s body is unable to break down certain fats. “For us, our food sticks to us and turns to energy,” Jennifer says. “For her, it doesn’t. It burns right through her.” So Kelli must stick to a strict high carb diet with less than 20 percent of fats per day. A fourth grader at Parkview Elementary, she has extra snacks built into her days at school, and any time she’s more active, she must also eat more.
Read the rest on the Baton Rouge Parents magazine website.
It wasn’t until Kelli was out of intensive care and following up with their pediatrician that Jennifer finally heard of very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCAD, pronounced V-L cad), the condition with which Kelli, who turns 11 this month, is living.
Because of the rare genetically inherited disease, Kelli’s body is unable to break down certain fats. “For us, our food sticks to us and turns to energy,” Jennifer says. “For her, it doesn’t. It burns right through her.” So Kelli must stick to a strict high carb diet with less than 20 percent of fats per day. A fourth grader at Parkview Elementary, she has extra snacks built into her days at school, and any time she’s more active, she must also eat more.
Read the rest on the Baton Rouge Parents magazine website.