Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Kacey Renwick has been through more these past several months than most 6-year-olds should endure. Stricken with Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) last spring, the most severe form of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a life threatening adverse reaction to medication, Kacey was left barely able to see past the lesions on her eyes that nearly blinded her.

But earlier this week, she was chosen along with several other sick children to travel to Lapland, Scotland, and visit with Santa Claus, according to The Edinburgh (Scotland) Paper, Evening News.

Each year the Edinburgh charity FACE organizes the trip to the snowy village, to Santa’s home, for children with life threatening illnesses. The guests of honor had struggled much this year and relished in the opportunity to meet face-to-face with Santa. Some of the children suffered from cancer, others from spinal cord injuries. Like Kacey, all were deeply moved to have the opportunity.

“How will I know what the elves are doing if I can’t see them?” Kacey whispered to the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children nurse who traveled with her. “Don’t worry,” the nurse answered, “I’ll tell you.”

SJS and TEN are rare but serious conditions that most often occurs as an adverse reaction to medications such as ibuprofen, anti-seizure medications and antibiotics. It affects people of all ages and genders, including children and infants. Defined as a hypersensitivity disorder, it causes the skin to blister and peel away. Mucus membranes also can be affected, causing lesions in the mouth or eyes. When the condition affects the eyes, ocular problems can occur. These can include conjunctivitis, scarring of the conjunctiva, inflammation inside the eye (iritis), corneal blisters and perforation, which can potentially lead to permanent vision loss.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 at 8:00 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.