Our Angel Dawson with Angelman Syndrome

Dawson Jackson was born on October 29th, 2012 as a precious baby boy. Dawson began showing signs of development delays very quickly. He went to Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma on March 17th, 2014, and was soon diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome on May 13th, 2014.

Angelman Syndrome is a neuro-genetic disorder characterized by severe intellectual and developmental disability, sleep disturbance, seizures, jerky movements (especially hand-flapping), frequent laughter or smiling, and usually a happy demeanor. It is caused by deletion or inactivation of genes on the maternally inherited chromosome 15 while the paternal copy, is imprinted and therefore silenced. Angelman Syndrome affects about 1 in every 15,000 and is considered rare.

There is currently no cure for Angelmans, but with the help of donations and awareness, we’re hoping one day there will be. Dawson’s main goal right now is to sit up on his own and learn how to crawl soon. He has therapy once a week to build his motor skills. Dawson is a living example of how precious life is, and he is supported and loved by family and friends nationwide.