On August 11, 2008 we gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Christopher Harry! Christopher was one of the first babies in GA to be picked up on the newborn screening with a rare inherited Fatty Oxidation Disorder called LCHADD (Long Chain 3-Hydroxyacyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency). As Ryan and I (Stephanie) gained more understanding about our son's condition and began to watch him grow and thrive, we had a desire to share our story and raise money for research. We hope that by sharing our story we can raise awareness/encourage education about LCHADD and provide hope to other families whose child(ren) have this condition.


This blog shares our journey, hopes, and fears. We also want this blog to contain practical information! Entries will include: yummy recipes, how we manage his LCHADD, conversations about medical issues, educational tools, and useful links on the side of the blog! If you are ever curious about something I have shared feel free to contact me personally!

What is an FOD?

WHAT IS AN FOD?


FOD stands for Fatty Oxidation Disorder. For children and adults with FODs their bodies have difficulty breaking down (or oxidizing) fat to use it for energy. This occurs when an enzyme is missing or not working properly. There are several different kinds of FODs. Some examples are SCAD, MCAD, VLCAD and LCHAD deficiency. Fatty Oxidation Disorders are genetic, which means both parents must have the recessive gene in order for their child to end up with the disorder. It also means that children with FODs will not grow out of their condition. Their condition is just as much a part of who they are as the color of their eyes or hair.

What is LCHADD?

WHAT IS LCHADD?


LCHADD stands for Long Chain 3-Hydroxyacyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency. Essentially children with this condition cannot utilize long-chain fats for energy. Did you know that the food that we eat has different size fat molecules in it? I never did until Christopher was born! There are short-chain fats, medium-chain fats, long-chain fats and very-long chain fats. I picture them as different size caterpillars (and this is how I explain it to Christopher) running around in our food. The short, medium, and very-long chain fats children with LCHAD can process. Unfortunately, most of our food and oils are primarily long-chain fats (the ones Christopher can’t process). If Christopher eats too much fat (right now he can only have 8-9grms of fat a day through food) then the fat will gather in his liver, kidneys and around his heart.


The other issue with Christopher not being able to breakdown long-chain fat is that it is a great energy source. For most of us, when we exercise or get sick and we burn through all of our glucose stores we start using fat for energy. Christopher’s body cannot do this, so his body starts to break down muscle and use it for energy instead. To say that this is “not good” is to speak lightly. When your body starts breaking down muscle you run the risk of having problems with lots of different systems in your body. Doctors worry the most about your kidneys because kidney failure can happen when your body is trying to process all of the broken down muscle (or myoglobin which is the by-product of the broken-down muscle).


In general, children with LCHADD are put on a very low-fat diet, drink a special medical formula, and most often use MCT oil (a unique oil comprised of medium chain fats) to give them a source of sustaining energy. Christopher's special medical formula, Lipistart, helps to ensure that he gets enough essential fat for brain and eye development without getting too much fat that his body can’t process. Lipistart also helps to provide a consistent form of energy for him throughout the day.



Sunday, December 4, 2016

Christmas Cookie Reciepe!

     I do love Christmas time.  I love the music, the lights and staring at our Christmas tree...but I also love the smells!  The cinnamon, the cloves pushed into the orange, and the cookies!  Last year I promised Kristy that I would get this recipe posted, and I am so sorry that I didn't!  But alas, here it is, our Sugar Cookie Recipe.  I can't take credit though, it was my grandma's recipe that I exchanged the butter out for MCT butter...and it just so happened to work perfectly!  The MCT Butter recipe came from a dear LCHADD parent in Canada, so it was a group effort!
     I will start with the MCT Butter recipe because you will need to make this first and follow up with the sugar cookie recipe.  Enjoy!


MCT Butter

Ingredients:
·      1 tablespoon corn starch
·      3/4 cup skim milk powder
·      1 tablespoon lemon juice
·      3/4 cup water
·      1 cup MCT oil

Directions:
1.     Mix lemon juice, water and oil into a pyrex cup.
2.    Sift dry ingredients into a small sauce pan.
3.    Turn stove on medium heat.
4.    Slowly pour in liquid while mixing with a whisk.  (Alternate with a spoon if dry ingredients get caught in crevices of pan.)
5.    Continue to mix over medium heat until butter thickens and is smooth.
6.    Keeps in fridge approximately 2 weeks.

Tips:
* This recipe makes 2 cups of butter, so 2 cups of butter has 1 cup of MCT oil.
* DO NOT USE THIS RECIPE IF YOUR CHILD HAS MCADD or cannot process medium chain fats!
 

Grandma’s MCT Sugar Cookies

 Ingredients:
·      1/2 cup MCT Butter
·      1 tsp. salt
·      1 tsp. vanilla
·      3/4 cup sugar
·      3 egg whites
·      2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Directions:
1.     Make MCT Butter using the attached MCT butter recipe.
2.    Combine MCT Butter, salt, vanilla, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
3.    Beat three egg whites in a small bowl, by hand, until slightly frothy.
4.    Pour egg whites into large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
5.     Sift flour and mix well.
6.    Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.  (This will take at least 2 hours!)
7.    After dough is chilled, pre-heat oven to 350°F.
8.    Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
9.    Flour counter top and rolling pin.
   10.  Take approximately 1/3 dough, lightly flour both sides and roll out flat with rolling pin until 1/4 or 1/8 inch thick.  Use cookie cutters to cut desired shapes.  Place cookies onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Re-shape dough, flour and roll until all dough is used. 
11.   Decorate cookies with sprinkles or crushed peppermint.  
12.  Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.

Tips:
*When buying sprinkles be aware that different brands have different amounts of fat!  Some sprinkles are just colored sugar and have no fat!  Yet, the traditional “sprinkles” greatly vary on brand, so look close to see what best fits your child’s needs.
*This recipe is meant for any child who needs to supplement their diet with MCT oil, but should be safe for family members without FODs.  My husband and I enjoy a cookie with our son without a tummy ache from MCT oil!  DO NOT USE THIS RECIEPE IF YOUR CHILD HAS MCADD or cannot process medium chain fats!

*If dough is sticking to your rolling pin or counter top then you need to add more flour!  Sprinkle a little flour on the countertop so it is almost invisible, but still feels rough to the touch.  Sprinkle some flour on the dough and on the pin.  As you roll out your dough, flip the dough over every other roll, flouring the top of the dough each time so it doesn’t stick to the countertop when you flip.


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