Hi and welcome to our Blog… Is It All Connected?
We are Kent and Donna Winter, and we have experienced some incredible things in our lives, some wonderful and some devastating, that we believe can help others as we share. We are so glad you are reading this post, and look forward to interacting with you about it, and about future posts. For those who have read our book or spent time on our website, the first few posts may be a bit redundant.
We will post approximately once a week. Please subscribe if you wish to be notified when new Blogs are posted. Also, please feel free to comment or reply. We would love to hear from you..
We have four primary topics we will Blog about..
- ITP
- ALPS
- Autism
- Devin (our son)
For those who may not know about these, we’ve included some brief descriptions, and there are hyperlinks at the bottom of this post if you would like more details. .
- ITP is an autoimmune disorder in which the body experiences a drop in platelets (the cells that help blood to clot), sometimes for no known reason. Inability to clot makes living with ITP risky as bumps and falls can lead to internal bleeding.
- Autoimmune disorders occur when the immune system fails to distinguish between healthy tissues and harmful antigens. It releases autoantibodies that end up mistakenlyattacking healthy body cells, tissues or organs. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases. Some are well known including lupus and multiple sclerosis, while others, including ALPS are rare.
- ALPS is an extremely rare autoimmune disorder in which a genetic mutation prevents the body from controlling the number of immune system cells called lymphocytes. Accumulation of excess lymphocytes enlarges the spleen, liver, and lymph nodes among other organs. ALPS can lead to ITP and some forms of cancer.
- Autism is a developmental disorder that impairs a person’s ability to interact and communicate. It impacts the neurological system affecting general cognitive, emotional, social and physical health. The range and severity of symptoms can vary widely, so the disorder is referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Devin was a wonderful, genuine human being. He enjoyed many aspects of life and judged no one. His favorite pass-times were playing video games, playing board games, researching on the computer, watching comedy movies and swinging. He also loved to travel. He had highfunctioning Autism, which in his case meant he was normal enough to know he was different, making it very difficult for him to make friends and ultimately led to serious depression. The Autism also made him a rule follower which led to him dealing with OCD. Devin also struggled with ALPS and ITP. These disorders caused weight gain and other physical challenges, and ultimately took his life.
While many people experience some of these things, a connection is not always found. In the case of Devin, they were all connected. He had underlying ALPS which we didn’t know about and figure out how to treat until it had caused him to develop Autism, and later in life the ALPS manifested in bouts of ITP, which ultimately took his life at the age of 24.
What have you run into like this - where there are a few things that seem totally unrelated, but in the end are related?
We look forward to hearing from you.
Kent and Donna
You can learn more about our Blog topics by clicking on the hyperlinks below.
We wrote a book about Devin’s life and what he went through. If you’d like a copy, there is a link below. All proceeds go to the Platelet Disorder Support Association to help with research on ITP and similar disorders: Devin’s Life on the Spectrum.