Walk set to raise CMV awareness
Jessica Rachels holds her daughter, Natalie, who suffers from numerous medical problems caused by cytomegalovirus. (Photo by CONOR CHRISTOFFERSON)
SANDPOINT — A local woman is hoping her five-hour “Walk-n-Rollathon” next week will bring much-needed money and attention to the little-known disease affecting her daughter.
Like most people, Kootenai’s Jessica Rachels had never heard of CMV — cytomegalovirus — when she gave birth to her daughter, Natalie, three years ago.
Her education about the virus was quick, severe and life changing.
Days after her birth, Natalie Rachels underwent a battery of tests, where doctors discovered a plethora of health problems. Calcification in Natalie’s brain caused by CMV resulted in severe hearing loss, brain damage and cerebral palsy.
“Natalie is pretty limited,” Rachels said. “She can’t sit up, can’t roll over and most likely will never be able to walk or talk.”
It is believed that Rachels contracted the virus while working at a daycare center during her pregnancy, and she is now on a mission to educate others about ways to avoid the pain that she and her family are struggling with.
CMV, which belongs to the family of viruses that includes chickenpox and mononucleosis, is spread through contact with bodily fluids, such as urine and saliva. It is the most common congenital infection in the United States, with about 40,000 children born with the virus each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Between 50 percent and 80 percent of adults in the United States are infected with CMV by age 40, but the virus is harmless in most cases. The danger, according to the CDC, is when pregnant women contract CMV and it spreads to their unborn child.
Despite its prevalence, Rachels said her obstetrician did not educate her on the potential problems associated with CMV, which she believes is an issue facing mothers throughout the country.
“The doctors said it was a fluke that this happened. Unfortunately, it is not a fluke,” she said. “The doctors are not as educated on the virus.”
It is not only doctors that Rachels believes are uneducated about the virus, but the majority of the population.
“(CMV awareness) is extremely low,” she said. “Most people and most moms have never heard of it.”
There is no cure for CMV. Funds raised by the nationwide “Walk-n-Rollathon” will help raise funds for CMV research on potential vaccines.
Rachels will walk the Long Bridge from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on May 16 to raise money and awareness for CMV. To pledge money or to donate to CMV research, e-mail jprachels@pobox.com.