Sutter Institute for Medical Research 2008 Annual Report

“I wasn’t the last one in line!”
“Jared was 19 1/4 inches at birth and he seemed to
get big fast,” said Allison, Jared’s mom. “But around a
year, we started wondering if everything was okay. We
noticed he wasn’t as big as his cousins and his clothes’
sizes were always a year behind his age. The
pediatrician said his size was normal, but when he
started school, I heard a lot of comments about how
small he was, and I noticed there were things he couldn’t
do, like reach the sink to wash his hands. He noticed,
too, and started asking what was wrong with him. By
the time he turned five, Jared’s worry was apparent, so
we decided to take him to see Dr. Prakasam.”
Pediatric endocrinologist G. Prakasam, M.D., one of
SIMR’s most dedicated research investigators, works
with children and families dealing with all types of
endocrine disorders. He knows that early detection and
treatment of endocrine-related issues is important, but
understands that children’s endocrine disorders are not
always easy to diagnose and there’s a wider range of
“normal” in children than adults. Clear-cut diagnostic
tests are not always available for every disorder either,
so it’s sometimes necessary to watch children over time
and see how they develop. In Jared’s case, Dr. Prakasam
performed blood tests, took periodic hand X-rays to
check growth, and followed Jared closely for more than
two years before determining growth hormones were
the best course of treatment.
Unfortunately, even with health insurance, the cost of
growth hormone treatment remains high. Dr. Prakasam
offered Allison and her husband Kevin, the chance
to enroll Jared as a volunteer in a clinical research
trial. Though the drug was not yet FDA approved,
Dr. Prakasam felt it showed good promise with few
drawbacks.
Best of all, Jared
grew two and
a half inches
in the first six
months of the
study.
“Enrolling Jared as a research volunteer was a very,
very tough decision for us,” said Allison, “but we
couldn’t afford treatment otherwise. We also trusted Dr.
Prakasam and knew he was very cautious, so we felt
fortunate that this door had been opened for us. Jared
has received such great care and been monitored so
closely since he joined the study in May 2008, that we
know he’s getting excellent care and being seen more
often than if we had chosen to do this on our own.”
Best of all, Jared grew two and a half inches in the first
six months of the study. “We’re ecstatic for him. It’s
such a weight off his shoulders,” said Allison. “I don’t
think I fully realized how much his size bothered him
until I picked him up after school the day they took
second grade pictures. Jared came running out to the car
yelling, ‘I wasn’t last in line! I wasn’t last in line! I was
second to last, but I wasn’t last!’”