Greg Bennett, age 24, was diagnosed in January 2014 with a rare genetic degenerative neurological disease called Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD). Simply put, this disease causes a loss of white matter in the brain. Unfortunately, there is no cure and current treatments available are risky, with most designed to attempt to slow the disease down. Of the 3 identified types, Greg has the late juvenile form of this disease. His symptoms are visual and auditory hallucinations, tremors in his hands, difficulty with walking, shaking and stiffness in his legs, decline in reading comprehension and math skills, staring and the lack of social cues as well as a gradual regression of maturity. Other progressive symptoms include problems with the gallbladder (his was removed in 2014), swallowing difficulties, seizures, weakness (leading to a wheelchair), and a gradual loss of nerve/motor functions involving most organs. Please visit our page on MLD to learn more.
Despite all that has transpired, Greg remains strong in Faith and has a great sense of humor and humility. Greg wants to raise awareness and funds for research for his disease with the hopes that the scientific community will take notice and be more aggressive in finding a cure.
Our path forward is unknown but what we are certain of is the support and love of friends and family, and even strangers, letting us know we are not alone in our journey. Your thoughts, prayers and contributions to help us find a cure will be forever appreciated!