I have a disease.

[SHMUPGurus]

I also have a disease, but not the one you're talking about.

I have this rare disease that doesn't allow me to eat anything with oils or fat and will have it my whole life... or until someone finds a real cure! That means I can't eat chicken wings, ribs, pizza, etc. That means only things like the white of a chicken (breasts), fat-free things like some cereals, etc. I can't eat things more than 0.9 of fat (check for nutritional informations on the sides of food boxes for example). I can still eat some kind of breads and other things. I have my own oils, so I can cook special things for me with this special oil (GTO), that means I can still eat pizzas but with my special cooking book, I have to follow the good ingredients and things to do and all. They found out that I had this sickness when I was 2 months old. Every night, I have to drink another special oil called Lorenzo (GTE), if anyone saw this movie, that's the disease I have.

It may sound weird, but I have always dreamed of being able to eat a chicken leg by holding the bone and eat it like they do in cartoons! Yeah... Maybe one day I'll find something to cure this disease. I mean, I'm more healthy than pretty much everyone, that's what I think is cool with this disease. I can still do A LOT of activities, that disease doesn't limit me. Oh yeah, the name of it? Adrenoleukodystrophy. For me, it's not worst than diabetes or other diseases like that.

Definiton of Adrenoleukodystrophy, from Wikipedia.com:

Leukodystrophies are dysmyelinating disorders, in which there is an abnormal myelin formation due to a metabolic disturbance affecting the white matter. They are different from demyelinating disorders such as multiple sclerosis, in which myelin is formed normally, but is lost by immunologic dysfunction or other reasons.

Adrenoleukodystrophy is an X-linked (the defective gene is on the X chromosome) inherited disease characterized by excessive accumulation of very long chain fatty acids. It appears to be caused by the deficiency of a molecule(s) responsible from the import and degradation of long chain fatty acids.

The clinical presentations largely depend on the age of onset of the disease. The most frequent type is the childhood-onset one, which is characterized by failure to develop, seizures, ataxia and adrenal insufficiency. In adolescent-onset form, the spinal cord dysfunction is more prominent and therefore is called adrenomyeloneuropathy. The patients usually present with weakness and numbness of the limbs and urination or defecation problems. Adult and neonatal forms of the disease are also present, but they are extremely rare. Some patients may present with sole findings of adrenal insufficiency.

The diagnosis is established by clinical findings and the detection of serum long chain fatty acid levels. MRI examination reveals white matter abnormalities, and neuroimaging findings of this disease are quite reminiscent of the findings of multiple sclerosis. Genetic testing for the analysis of the defective gene is available in some centers.

There is no definite treatment for the disease. Some dietary treatments, e. g., Lorenzos oil, have been used with limited success. Bone marrow transplantation may be helpful for some mild cases.

Luckily, it's not so advanced with me since I'm taking the disease seriously. I will be able to live for a long time, from what the doctors say. Don't worry, I wouldn't die just like this before doing something that people will remember me for anyway! :D