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Thanks to a persistent nurse, Giana Swift's parents only have to worry about whether she should go to public or private kindergarten -- not whether she'll be healthy enough to even go to school.
Analysis of a drop of blood taken from her heel revealed that Giana -- which means "God is gracious" -- has a rare metabolic disorder called 3MCC for short. She can't metabolize leucine, an amino acid found in protein foods.
When Giana was born in Los Angeles in October 2002, dad David Swift says, California routinely screened newborns for only four disorders, none of them 3MCC. But, he says, a nurse persuaded him and his wife to take part in a pilot project of expanded newborn screening.
California now routinely screens for more than 20 of the 29 disorders recommended by the American College of Medical Genetics, says the March of Dimes' latest newborn-screening "report card."
In fact, 64% of all babies born in the USA this year will be screened for at least 20 of the life-threatening disorders, compared with 38% born in 2005, the March of Dimes says. "We're really happy with the progress that's reflected this year in the report card," says Jennifer Howse, the organization's president.
Swift says he has become a "zealot" about newborn screening. Like the March of Dimes, he encourages expectant parents to pay a private laboratory for expanded screening if their state doesn't offer it. His daughter is thriving on a diet of pasta, rice, fruits and vegetables.
Some people with 3MCC don't develop symptoms until adulthood, if ever. But for some babies and children, untreated 3MCC causes a "metabolic crisis" as harmful substances build up in the blood. Such crises can leave them in a potentially fatal coma. Repeated crises can cause brain damage.
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