A Rolesville, NC family is hoping to win the Pepsi Refresh Project that could help to find a cure for a rare neurological disorder for which there is no current cure. Matthew Wuchich, age 3, was diagnosed with Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood or AHC when he was 18 months old. Winning the grant is important to the family and to others with the disease since rare diseases often are overlooked by more common ailments.
In Wuchich's case, the rare and permanent neurological disorder causes painful attacks of temporary paralysis that can last minutes or days. AHC is often mistaken for cerebral palsy or epilepsy and impairs his ability to learn, giving him limited communication skills that often leave him visibly frustrated. It also affects muscle control, causing shallow breathing and difficulty walking and swallowing. "The attacks of paralysis are often painful," said Jeff Wuchich, Matthew's father. "They're not like epileptic seizures, where consciousness is lost; Matthew is conscious the entire time - he just can't move."
The AHC Foundation is vying for a research grant of $250,000 from the Pepsi Refresh Project, where online votes and text votes determine grant winners. Already, a committed group of AHC parents have catapulted their AHC grant request from 235th to 3rd place, just shy of the top two spots where grants in the $250,000 category are funded.
To vote to fund a research project that may locate the cause of Matthew's disease, visit http://www.RefreshEverything.com/cureAHC. Online votes can be cast once daily through the rest of November, 2010. Additionally, votes can be texted at 104112 to 773774 allowing for two votes per day.
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