Nora's Army

<h1>Who is Nora?</h1> Nora is a little girl with Rett Syndrome. Rett Syndrome is classified as an Autism Spectrum Disorder but it is, in many cases, more severe than Autism. Rett mostly only affects girls (boys almost always die in infancy if they are afflicted with Rett). Rett Syndrome is frequently characterized by normal or near-normal development for the first 6-18 months of life. Then they regress, losing fine motor control (speech, the ability to grasp small objects), ambulation (ability to walk) and other learned skills. You can read more about <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rett_syndrome'>Rett Syndrome on Wikipedia</a>.<br /> <br /> Usually Rett Syndrome is caused by a mutation in a genetic sequence called MECP2. Nora's specific mutation is R306C. Nora is unable to talk or communicate with sign language as she lacks the fine motor control. She can crawl and is working on walking but consistent control of her muscles, combined with low muscle tone, makes it very difficult.<br /> <strong>UPDATE:</strong> Nora started walking in July, 2010. She now walks all over the place and loves to go exploring or simply walk around in circles, giggling.<br /> <br /> <h2>Why Nora's Army?</h2> We (Nora's parents) have been continually overwhelmed by how supportive our family and friends have been of our special little girl. I've often thought that it was like Nora had her own little fan club, an army of supporters that are always eager to see her. Thus, I created Nora's Army.<br /> <br /> <h2>What If I Want to Donate to Cure Research Instead?</h2> Nora has a page on a wonderful site called <a href='http://www.girlpower2cure.org/nora'>GirlPower2Cure</a> where people may donate in her honor. Donated funds go to a trust to support promising research for a Rett cure. This is the most effective way for people to donate to a cure in Nora's honor without donating TO Nora.<br />