Family in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, hopeful for breakthrough research funded by Eagles Autism Foundation
Research supported by the Eagles Autism Foundation is focused on a girl in Montgomery County with the hopes of eventually finding new treatments for autism.
Four-year-old Fiona Vanderhoof, who enjoys her trampoline in Norristown, has faced many challenges; she was diagnosed with a severe form of autism.
"A genetic test confirmed she has Dup15q syndrome, which is caused by an extra piece of a chromosome," said mom Jackie Vanderhoof.
Fiona Vanderhoof is developmentally delayed and mostly nonverbal.
"It's tough, it's devastating. ... It didn't ruin our lives. We love Fiona, she is the light of our lives," said Jackie Vanderhoof. "She is an absolute beacon of hope for us."
A lot of that hope comes from this research at the University of Connecticut.
Using blood cells from Fiona Vanderhoof, autism researcher Dr. Eric Levine is using groundbreaking new technology to reprogram them into neurons that mirror her brain cells. That allows him to explore possible causes of autism and find better treatments.
"So the cells can be used for discovering what's wrong and also as a screen for seeing what drugs or other medicines might be effective at reversing it," said Levine.
Levine's research is partially funded by the Philadelphia Eagles Autism Foundation.
"The stuff that they do is incredible," said Jackie Vanderhoof. "I'm just so appreciative of what the Eagles Autism Foundation has done."
"To potentially change the trajectory of their lives collectively is just really special," said Ryan Hammond, executive director of the Eagles Autism Foundation. "Jeffrey Lurie founded the Eagles Autism Foundation not only to drive millions of dollars to fund research, but more importantly, to bring a community together," Hammond said.
It's providing new hope for this family, which is forever grateful to their favorite team.
The Eagles Autism Challenge is coming up on May 17. It's a one-day bike ride and 5K to raise awareness and money.
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