When a 3-year-old New York boy was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, hope came in an unlikely form — a golden retriever named Yammy.

Susan Bresnahan’s son, Patrick, was born in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, she told Fox News Digital.

Bresnahan, who has been a nurse for 20 years, noticed that her son wasn’t hitting any of the normal developmental milestones as he reached toddler age.

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“I knew in my gut that something was wrong,” she said during an on-camera interview.

A tough diagnosis

After seeing many specialists and undergoing genetic testing, the family learned that Patrick — just over 2 years old at the time — had a rare neurodevelopmental disorder called Timothy syndrome.

“After getting the diagnosis, it was the first good night’s sleep I had in two years, because I was losing my mind knowing there was something really wrong,” Bresnahan recalled.

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Timothy syndrome occurs when there is a mutation of the CACNA1C gene, according to Cleveland Clinic. Fewer than 100 people are diagnosed worldwide.

The disorder, which is life-threatening, can affect a child’s heart, cognitive abilities, nervous and immune systems, and physical appearance, the same source stated.

Initial symptoms can include certain physical characteristics, irregular heart function, seizures, trouble communicating, and developmental delays, the last of which Bresnahan first noticed in her son.

“I was losing my mind knowing there was something really wrong.”

In many cases, Breshanan said, the CACNA1C mutation can be mistaken for autism, when the autism is really just a symptom of the genetic disorder.

“In Patrick’s case, I feel strongly that if I wasn’t a nurse, especially in pediatrics, I would be walking around saying my child has autism, but he doesn’t,” she noted.

Timothy syndrome occurs when there is a mutation of the CACNA1C gene, according to Cleveland Clinic. Fewer than 100 people are diagnosed worldwide. (Susan Bresnahan)

Although there is no cure for the syndrome, certain treatments can help manage symptoms and improve outcomes.

Nearly 80% of diagnosed cases lead to fatal heart conditions in early childhood, according to Cleveland Clinic.

‘Had to do more’

Experts recommend early intervention after a diagnosis of Timothy syndrome.

“Besides the occupational therapy and speech therapy, I just felt like I had to do more,” Bresnahan told Fox News Digital. 

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“So I asked a neurologist what their thoughts were on a service dog, because Patrick just had no motivation to move.”

The family started the process of getting a service dog at ECAD (Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities) in Torrington, Connecticut, which matches up families with dogs suited to their needs.

The Bresnahan family had to raise $25,000 for their portion of the cost to receive a service dog. “It was amazing how people came forward to support us,” Susan Bresnahan said. (Susan Bresnahan)

Each ECAD dog receives more than 1,500 hours of training, according to Bresnahan. The person seeking a dog must also complete a two-week course at the ECAD facility before they are matched with the animal that best suits their specific needs. 

The service dogs can be trained to open and close doors, turn on lights, retrieve items and steady people while walking or going upstairs.  

‘Match made in heaven’

The Bresnahan family had to raise $25,000 for their portion of the cost to receive a service dog.

Within three weeks, they had received the full amount through donations from friends, family and community members.

“It was unbelievable,” Bresnahan recalled. “I just cried for three weeks straight — it was amazing how people came forward to support us.”

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A couple of years after starting the process, Patrick received his dog, Yammy. 

“Within two weeks, he was doing like 12 new things he had never done,” she said. “I really couldn’t believe my eyes.”

“It was a sense of security, having the dog next to him,” Bresnahan said. Yammy has also increased Patrick’s social ability and self-confidence, she added. (Susan Bresnahan)

Where Patrick used to walk slowly and move “clumsily,” he suddenly began walking, running and moving much more easily and smoothly with Yammy.

He even started climbing steps, something he had never attempted before.

“It was a sense of security, having the dog next to him,” Bresnahan said. Yammy has also increased Patrick’s social ability and self-confidence, she added.

“It’s just a huge physical therapy session all day long, along with the love and security.”

While many people think of service dogs as a solution for the vision-impaired, Bresnahan said they are ideal for a developmentally delayed child.

“It’s just a huge physical therapy session all day long, along with the love and security.”

Yammy comes along to all of Patrick’s doctor’s appointments, providing unspoken support and comfort.

“It’s a distraction, it’s a friend,” Bresnahan said. “When he pets him, I feel like his anxiety goes down. It’s just been a beautiful thing — it’s like a new family member.”

Where Patrick used to walk slowly and move “clumsily,” he suddenly began walking, running and moving much more easily and smoothly after receiving his service dog, said Susan Bresnahan. (Susan Bresnahan)

“As Patrick’s mother, I can say that Yammy and Patrick are a match made in heaven,” she went on. 

“Receiving a service dog allows Patrick to thrive and push himself to continue reaching new goals.”

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Today, at 4 years old, Patrick is doing well, although he is at risk of cardiac problems and seizures. He receives EKGs each year to monitor his heart’s electrical activity.

“He’s the only one in the whole world with this exact mutation, so there’s really no one to compare it to,” Bresnahan said. “So we just have to keep monitoring and hoping.”

“It’s just been a beautiful thing — it’s like a new family member,” Susan Bresnahan said of her son’s service dog. (Susan Bresnahan)

While Patrick’s progress is still “very delayed,” she said, it’s “going in the right direction.”

“And he’s the happiest kid alive.”

Bresnahan, who stays in touch with scientists who are researching the disorder, is hopeful for new treatments or therapies in the future.

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For other parents whose children aren’t hitting the expected developmental milestones, she recommends seeking out genetic testing.

“It’s just a mouth swab — and the amount of information you can get from that swab can change your life.”

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States who died at the age of 100 on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, had been living in hospice care at his home since Feb. 2023.

Back in May, Carter’s son, Jason Carter, said in a speech at the Carter Center in Georgia that his grandfather was “doing OK.”

Jason Carter also praised the “outpouring of love” the Carter family received since the passing of the former first lady Rosalynn Carter in Nov. 2023.

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“He has been in hospice … for almost a year and a half now, and he really is, I think, coming to the end,” Jason Carter said at the time.

“I’ve said before, there’s a part of this faith journey that is so important to him, and there’s a part of that faith journey that you only can live at the very end, and I think he has been there in that space,” the grandson also said.

Previous health issues

Carter had experienced multiple health issues in recent years.

Following liver surgery to remove a mass in 2015, the former president was diagnosed with melanoma, which had spread to multiple areas of his brain, according to reports.

After surgery and several months of treatment with radiation and immunotherapy, Carter’s cancer cleared.

Carter had since experienced a bout of dehydration and several falls that led to a broken hip, pelvic fracture and other injuries, per reports.

Carter’s wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, entered hospice in Nov. 2023 alongside her husband. She died just a few days later at the age of 96. (Getty Images)

Carter’s wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, also entered hospice in Nov. 2023 alongside her husband. She died just a few days later at the age of 96.

Some experts have praised the Carter family for sharing the details of the couple’s journey through aging, hospice care and death.

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“It’s been massive to have the Carters be so public,” said Angela Novas, chief medical officer for the Hospice Foundation of America in Washington, D.C., according to an Associated Press report. 

“It has shed hospice in a new light, and it’s raised questions” for people to learn more, she added.

What is hospice care?

“Hospice is health care for people who are dying,” Dr. Harold Braswell, associate professor of Health Care Ethics at St. Louis University and author of several books related to end-of-life issues, told Fox News Digital in November.

Former President Carter is shown departing after the funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church, in Plains, Georgia, on Nov. 29, 2023. (ALEX BRANDON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

This type of medical care is “interdisciplinary,” the doctor noted, including a mix of medical, psychosocial and spiritual support. 

It also includes assistance with day-to-day activities.

Hospice care focuses on managing symptoms and making patients as comfortable as possible rather than administering treatment for a disease or ailment.

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A person becomes eligible for hospice after receiving a medical diagnosis with six months or less to live, according to Braswell.

“Hospice is not curative care,” said Braswell. “It is not oriented toward curing a patient’s medical condition — and qualifying for hospice generally requires that a patient abandon curative interventions such as chemotherapy.”

Hospice care focuses on managing symptoms and making patients as comfortable as possible rather than administering treatment for a disease or ailment, according to experts. (iStock)

Hospice is also not seen as a replacement for nursing home care or other residential care, and is not intended to “hasten death,” according to the Hospice Foundation of America (HFA)’s website.

It also does not encompass 24/7 care, the HFA noted. Instead, hospice team members generally visit the patient and family caregivers as needed.

Most U.S. hospice patients receive care in an outpatient setting, such as their private home, a nursing home or a long-term care facility, Braswell told Fox News Digital. 

“Some hospices — a relatively small number — offer inpatient care, though this is only for a very short amount of time, generally for people who are actively dying,” Braswell said.

Getting a certain number of daily steps has long been known to boost overall health — and now a new study has pinpointed how many you need to keep depression at bay.

A research team led by Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni, PhD, from Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca, Spain, analyzed 33 studies involving 96,173 adults.

In comparing the adults’ daily step counts and rates of depression, they found that people with higher daily step counts tended to have fewer depressive symptoms, according to the study findings, which were published in JAMA Network Open last week.

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Getting 5,000 or more steps was linked to reduced depressive symptoms, while a step count of 7,000 or higher was associated with a lower risk of depression, the researchers found.

“Our results showed significant associations between higher numbers of daily steps and fewer depressive symptoms, as well as lower prevalence and risk of depression in the general adult population,” the authors wrote in the findings.

“The objective measurement of daily steps may represent an inclusive and comprehensive approach to public health that has the potential to prevent depression.”

More than 7% of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with depression, with those between 12 and 25 years old most affected, according to data from the National Institute of Mental Health.

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Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the study but commented on the review.

“This is an extensive analysis of over 30 observational studies, so it needs to be followed up with prospective randomized studies,” he told Fox News Digital. 

Previous studies have found that walking has effects on brain networks that are essential in improving mood, depression and anxiety, one expert told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

“There is already a vast body of evidence, including this study, that exercise is associated with mood improvement, a natural antidepressant.”  

The reason that a higher step count reduces depression isn’t only psychological, the doctor said — it’s also physical. 

“Exercise increases the release of the ‘happy hormones’ — dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin,” Siegel added.

“The more sedentary we are, or the more we sit, the more depressed we get.”

Previous studies have found that walking has effects on brain networks that are essential in improving mood, depression and anxiety, according to Dr. Richard A. Bermudes, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer of BrainsWay in Nevada.

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“The more sedentary we are, or the more we sit, the more depressed we get,” Bermudes, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. 

More than 7% of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with depression, with those between 12 and 25 years old most affected, according to data from the National Institute of Mental Health. (iStock)

“We also know that there is an incremental benefit to walking — every increase of 1,000 steps per day was associated with a 9% lower risk of depression.”

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Genetics, psychological factors and social stressors also play a role in depression, he noted.

“However, we know that natural light exposure, general movement and walking in natural settings or nature have positive mood effects.” 

Natural light exposure, general movement and walking in natural settings or nature have positive mood effects, one expert noted. (iStock)

Bermudes encourages those struggling with depression to “take it one step at a time.”

“For those with severe depression, try incrementally day after day, increasing by 100 steps each day,” he suggested. 

“If you work and are stuck at a desk most days, schedule 15-minute breaks to exercise the brain by taking a walk.”

Walking outside is more beneficial, Bermudes added, as it provides natural light exposure.

Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.