“5-year-old Cameron Hyman suffers from Sanfilippo syndrome, a rare genetic condition. Six days after the doctors confirm her condition, Cameron’s mom Christina was diagnosed with breast cancer. This fighting family is surprised with a living room renovation they truly deserve thanks to George Oliphant and the George to the Rescue.”
The story of the Hyman family inspired NBC’s George to the Rescue to choose them for a renovation of their home’s family room. The results were stunning and cleverly incorporated adaptions suited to Cameron’s interests, sensory needs, and possible future accessibility needs.
Watch the full episode, including the emotional reveal of the new space for this family of five.
Interior decorator Julie Kantrowitz shared how she planned and brought the space to life for the Hyman family in an in-depth House Beautiful article about how she planned and brought the space to life. The article also includes before and after photos.
Sanfilippo Syndrome is a terminal, neurodegenerative disease that causes children to lose all the skills they’ve gained, suffer seizures and movement disorders, experience pain and suffering, and then die. It is like Alzheimer’s, but in children. Sanfilippo Syndrome is caused by a single gene defect which leads to lack of a necessary enzyme in the body. This lack of enzyme results in the build-up of toxic storage in every cell, and is especially harmful to the brain. This build-up causes a cascade of detrimental effects and ultimately death. Currently there is no FDA-approved treatment or cure for Sanfilippo Syndrome.
Children are born with Sanfilippo Syndrome, but it is invisible until they start exhibiting developmental delays or regression in their early years. Early symptoms of Sanfilippo Syndrome are often: speech delays, frequent ear infections, poor sleep, “Autistic” behaviors, and hyperactivity. Sanfilippo Syndrome progresses to increasing intellectual disability, loss of mobility, loss of the ability to eat, seizures, movement disorders, and eventually early death, often before the second decade of life.
Learn more about Sanfilippo Syndrome.