SAN BENITO — Ayssa Mercado sees four specialists in Corpus Christi who monitor her rare life threatening MEPC2 syndrome.
The 5-year-old San Benito resident was born with the neurological disorder.
The disorder affects her ability to function normally.
Her father Albert Mercado said the oldest living person with the disorder living today is 26 years old.
Mercado said in most cases children with this disorder don’t live beyond 6 years.
Mercado quit his dream job to take care of Ayssa on a daily basis. And the family lives of a single income.
According to webMD, MECP2 duplication syndrome is a rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a wide variety of symptoms including low muscle tone, potentially severe intellectual disability, developmental delays, recurrent respiratory infections, speech abnormalities, seizures, and progressive spasticity, a condition characterized by muscle stiffness that is worsened with movement and can be associated with involuntary muscle spasms.
“She is beautiful and she is fun to be around,” Mercado said.
The disorder predominantly affects males, but females who carry the duplication on one X chromosome may exhibit some signs of the disorder.
If you go
WHAT: MECP2 Baseball and Softball Camp for boys and girls ages 4 to 18
WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 29 from 2 to 4 p.m
WHERE: Stookey Park, San Benito
WHY: Fundraiser for Ayssa Mercado, $5 to register
Former MLB professional players expected to coach at the camp:
1. Alejandro Martinez Oakland A’s/ Milwaukee Brewers
2. Sendy Vasquez. Detroit Tigers
3. Ruben De La Rosa. Toronto Blue Jays/ Washington Nationals
4. Juan Cabrera. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Pablo Perez. Minnesota Twins
6. Alexei Gill. Kansas City Royals
7. German Marte. New York Mets
8. Fidel Hernandez. Philadelphia Phillies
9. Juseth Frias. New York Mets
10. Elizer Bonet. Chicago Cubs
11. Osiel Flores. Cleveland Indians
12. Julio Castro. Chicago White Sox
13. Benny Mejia. New Jersey D-1
