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Assistant Managing Editor LONGMEADOW Fifteen year-old Emily Hanke is the rare older sibling that admires the younger. Her 13-year-old brother Peter is living with Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), and Emily sets aside time during the year to fund raise for the unfamiliar condition. FXS is the most common cause of inherited mental impairment. It can range from learning disabilities to more severe cognitive or intellectual disabilities. Sometimes it is referred to as mental retardation. FXS is the most common known cause of autism or "autistic-like" behaviors. "Two to six percent of children diagnosed with autism, the cause is Fragile X. It occurs one in 3,600 boys and one in 4,000 to 6,000 girls," Emily said. "One-third of children diagnosed also have some degree of autism and features that they have are hand biting, hand slapping, poor eye contact social anxiety and shyness. It's caused by mutation in the X- chromosome." When Emily spoke with Reminder Publications she was just winding down from an annual drive she hosts starting July 22, which is National Fragile X Awareness Day. This year Emily received $1,300 in donations. She alternated between setting up a stand in front of Shaw's supermarket in Enfield, Conn., Aramata's market, Kiddly Winks and Brightwood Hardware in Longmeadow, and Panera Bread in East Longmeadow. She said most patrons had not heard of the condition and those that did knew of it through the medical field or a family member with the impairment. After a brief break, Emily will be hitting the road with team "Peter's Love" for the Walk Now for Autism fundraiser in Westfield set for Sept. 15. "Peter's so important to me. And everything that I do is based on him. I want to be a Fragile X researcher [when I grow up]," Emily said. | ||||||
