Life with PWS from a Student’s Perspective
February 24, 2015
The below autobiography was composed by a student at Latham Centers as the first to a series about her life. Her positive take on Prader-Willi Syndrome and her willingness to discuss her journey are truly admirable.
“Hi, my name is Bess. I live with a wonderful disability. I am not your average 19-year-old girl. I have PWS which stands for Prader-Willi Syndrome. It affects the 15th chromosome at birth . But because I have PWS, it affects some minor delays when you are growing and old[er]. [People with PWS have] a low body tone, and small hands and feet, and [problems with certain] behaviors.
But I am a strong young girl who lives with PWS. I couldn’t have done it without [first] going to Pittsburg and then getting the help I need[ed]. I weighed 213 pounds, and that was when I was borderline diabetic. That scared me. Then I took the weight off after I was there 2 months. I worked really hard in the setting to take the weight off. Using the Red, Yellow, Green Diet helped me stay healthy and the 60 minutes of exercises was hard, but it was fun to see myself lose weight.”
Bess now resides at Latham Centers and is a leader amongst her peers. She has carried over lessons learned in her previous placement to Latham Centers, where she accepts challenges and flourishes with PWS.
Katrina Fryklund, MSPC
Development Coordinator
Development Coordinator