Kim Morey was born in Arkansas and raised in Northwest Arkansas. She is married to Kevin and they have 3 children; Ashton, Tyrus, Nathan and 2 grandchildren; Tracen and Cambry. Kim has worked in the vendor community for over 15 years. Prior to working in the vendor community she was a Nail Technician and also owned a tanning salon here in Bentonville.
Kim was diagnosed with Autosomal Dominant-Retinal Vasculopathy with Cerebral Leukodystrophy (AD-RVCL) in February of 2008. Autosomal Dominant-Retinal Vasculopathy with Cerebral Leukodystrophy, is an inherited disease which she inherited from her father. Her father passed away at age 49 after contracting the disease from his mother who died at age 56. The symptoms usually begin in the 4th decade of life. This disease process affects the small blood vessels, particularly those supplying the retina, as well as other parts of the brain. Over a five to ten year period, there is a progressive loss of vision as well as loss of multiple cells in the brain leading to brain damage and eventually death. There is as yet no treatment.
Dr. Atkinson and his group at the Washington University School of Medicine have been working for several decades to increase our understanding of this disease. Through collaborations with physician/scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles and Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, less than 20 families across the world have been identified with this disease. In 2001, the mutated gene was localized to a region on chromosome 3. In 2007, the specific genetic defect in all of these families was discovered in a single gene (called TREX-1). The protein the gene makes plays an important role in repair of DNA. The function of normal and the mutated TREX-1 is being investigated in order to understand how it causes the disease. Because of these developments, a definitive means to establish the diagnosis is available. The condition is often misdiagnosed as a brain tumor, stroke, or multiple sclerosis. The goal now is to find a treatment to replace, bypass, correct or negate the effects of the defective protein. Since there are only 10 families that have been diagnosed with this disease, there are insufficient funds available to continue on with research and that’s why we are asking for your help. All money raised will go directly to St. Louis University to fund research for curing CRV.
For more information on donating, please contact us at curecrv@yahoo.com