Online School Opens Doors for Special Girl, Sydney
Sydney Craven was supposed to die at two years of age, the doctors said. Instead, she just turned 13, and she is now reading classic literature, learning some Latin, and studying the history of ancient Greece.
In many respects, Sydney is just like other girls her age. She loves her pets, her family, chatting with her girlfriends, computer games, and more. For her 13th birthday, the family went bowling, where Sydney played from her wheelchair and did quite well. She also finally got a present that she has been dreaming about for years: two pets of her very own, little guinea pigs she named Jellybean and Lollypop. “I love holding them,” Sydney tells The New American magazine. “I have a camera under my bed to watch them.” Her mom, Dana, says the fuzzy critters are Sydney’s “little friends.” “She tries to care for them and hold them,” Dana explains.
In other respects, Sydney is quite different from other girls her age. For one, Sydney spends most of her day lying down in bed. Because of a genetic disorder known as spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, her system of movement has all but disappeared. Basically, Sydney lacks a key protein, ultimately resulting in the death of crucial nerve cells in her spinal cord. By the time she was one year old, she could no longer swallow. There is no known cure as of yet, but the family still hopes that one day that will change, pointing to promising therapies currently in development. Today, Sydney even needs a machine to help her breathe. Her family, and her mom, Dana, in particular, help her do most everything else around the house.
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