GRAND BLANC -- One Mid-Michigan dermatologist is raising money to find a cure for Autism and Fragile X Syndrome.
Friday, the Silverton Skin Institute hosted the 7th annual Botox Benefit. Botox injections were given at a reduced price, and the money was donated to help find a cure for Fragile X Syndrome.
Dr. Kimball Silverton says the number of children with this disease is startling. “One out of 120 children is diagnosed with autism each year and 1 out of 130 women are silent carriers of the gene that causes Fragile X Syndrome,” he explains. “Fragile X Syndrome is the most common cause of inherited mental impairment in children and the only known cause of autism.”
Finding a cure is close to Dr. Silverton’s heart. About 10 years ago, his son was diagnosed with the disease. Since then, he and his wife have worked hard to find a cure. Dr. Silverton says they are “very, very close” to finding it.
One woman says she comes to the Botox Benefit each year. Tammy Rudi has two children with autism. She says she waits each year to go to Dr. Silverton’s event because she hopes he will find a cure for her children and other people with the disease.
