From time to time in the moving business, we have the pleasure of running into families with very interesting stories. One of those families we’ve recently relocated in the Dallas area are The Coolidges. Andy and Amy Coolidge have three young children: Madison, Drew and Chase. From all appearances, the kids are just like any other kids their age. However, appearances are deceiving.
In fact, all three were born with an extremely rare genetic condition called trichothiodystrophy. Don’t try pronouncing it, just call it TTD for short. From Amy’s blog: “TTD is rare. Last stat indicates that there are 112 cases identified world-wide and 19 in the United States (we have 3 of them). A rare disease is defined as a condition with such a low prevalence in a population that a doctor in a busy general practice would not expect to see more than one case a year. Again, our doctors see 3 cases… multiple times every year.”
TTD is characterized by brittle hair that breaks easily, so the kids have to keep their hair trimmed short, and dry, flaky skin. However, it also effects all the major organ systems in the body. There is no cure, only treatment for the symptoms.
