Support Grayson's Fight Against X-ALD

Steve and Stephanie Basl's 12-year-old son Grayson was recently diagnosed with X-ALD. We are raising funds to help cover expenses incurred by the Basl family during the next few months while Grayson is in the hospital. Their family was given this unexpected news after Grayson was seen for a possible concussion, and the doctors told them something didn't look quite right and proceeded to offer additional tests.

Steve and his wife are currently at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh during the extensive testing over the next week. They are using this time to prepare for the worst case scenario but praying for the best outcomes.

At this point, time is critical; what they see is not an advanced stage of X-ALD, but one that is there and could become something larger without much notice. If it becomes advanced, any destruction in its wake (loss of vision, hearing, walking, etc.) cannot be reversible, so they want to ensure that what they diagnosed him with IS actually it. We can move forward with the procedure late summer/early fall. The procedure, they say, is hell, so if it's something they could do that doesn't require a bone marrow transplant, then we'd rather not.

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a genetic disorder primarily affecting males, caused by a mutation on the X chromosome. It disrupts the body's ability to break down very long-chain fatty acids, leading to their accumulation in the brain, nervous system, and adrenal glands. This can result in various symptoms, including adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease), neurological problems like childhood cerebral ALD (CALD), and adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN).