Colorado
Genetic testing, diagnosis of rare disease helps provide answers to Colorado Springs family
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A Colorado Springs family is sharing their story this Rare Diseases Day after genetic testing brought answers and closure to their family after a number of scary situations.
According to Jessica and Jeremy Mehring, their 4-year-old daughter Cassie has a condition called PPA2-related mitochondrial disease, a genetic mutation that impacts how Cassie’s cells produce energy and how that interacts with her heart. Genetic testing revealed the diagnosis after Cassie suffered a cardiac arrest at just two years old. At the time, her parents thought she was having a seizure.
“When the paramedics got here they were able to resuscitate her in the ambulance on the way to the hospital,” Jessica told 11 News, “and we were told then it was a cardiac arrest.”
The situation was especially scary to the Mehrings after they had a 19-month-old daughter named Scarlett who had died unexpectedly almost a decade earlier. After numerous additional tests on Cassie and a lack of answers, a genetic researcher suggested genetic testing.
The diagnosis not only provided the answer for Cassie’s condition, but it also gave them some closure surrounding Scarlett, who they say they believe had the same condition.
“The genetic test didn’t just give us the answer to what happened with Cassie…” Mehring said. “And not just the answer, but also, you know, what to watch out for to hopefully stop this from ever happening again.”
Some of the triggers the family said can cause a cardiac arrest in people with PPA2 are viral illnesses, ingesting alcohol or alcohol-related ingredients (like vanilla extract or vinegar), and a drop in blood sugar. According to her parents, Cassie had just gotten over a stomach bug and was dealing with a blood sugar drop from illness and issues eating due to the virus when she had her cardiac arrest.
Dr. Aaina Kochhar with Children’s Colorado’s Department of Genetics and Metabolism told 11 News that there can be many causes of concern that could point to signs of a rare disease or something that might require genetic testing to better understand.
“Anything that deviates from the trajectory of a child’s normal development for which there is no other good explanation, you know, might be suspicion for an underlying genetic condition,” Dr. Kochher said.
According to Dr. Kochher, PPA2 does not have a cure, but once diagnosed, it is more easy to manage. Cassie was given an ICD after diagnosis, which monitors her heart rhythm and can help restore it when there’s an irregularity.
Now, Cassie is “thriving” and attending preschool, something her parents said they were unsure would ever be able to happen due to the unexpected nature of her illness.
“Cassie is an incredible, incredible little girl.”
Copyright 2024 KKTV. All rights reserved.
Colorado
Colorado authorities shut down low-income housing developer
The Colorado Division of Securities is pursuing legal action against a man whom it claims deceived investors and used the ownership of federally supported low-income housing projects to line his own pockets.
Securities Commissioner Tung Chan announced its civil court filings against Michael Dale Graham, 68, on Nov. 12.
Chan’s office filed civil fraud charges against Graham, and also asked for a temporary restraining order and freezing of Graham’s assets and his companies’. A Denver district court judge immediately granted both. Since then, two court dates to review the those orders have canceled; a third is scheduled for mid-January.
Graham operates Sebastian Partners LLC, Sebastiane Partners LLC, and Gravitas Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund I LLC (“GQOZF”), all of which were controlled by Graham during his “elaborate real estate investment scheme,” as described by the securities office in a case document.
The filing states Graham collected more than $1.1 million from eight investors to purchase three adjacent homes in Aurora. The Denver-based Gravitas fund and its investors purportedly qualified for the federal Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) program with the homes. Qualified Opportunity Zones were created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2017. The zones encouraged growth in low-income communities by offering tax benefits to investors, namely reductions in capital gains taxes on developed properties.
Graham formed Gravitas in early 2019 and purchased the three homes located in the 21000 block of E. 60th Avenue two years later. He quickly sold one of them with notifying investors, according to the case document. While managing the other two, Graham and Gravitas transferred the fund’s assets and never operated within QOZ guidelines to the benefit of its investors or the community, according to the state.
Gravitas also transferred the titles for the two properties to Graham privately. As their owner, Graham obtained undocumented loans from friends totaling almost $600,000. The two loans used the two properties as security.
Gravitas investors were never informed of the two loans, according to the case document. Also, Gravitas never sent its investors year-end tax reports, the securities office alleges.
Graham used the proceeds of the loans for personal use. No specific details were provided about those uses.
“Effectively, Graham used Gravitas as his personal piggy bank,” as stated in the case document, “claiming both funds and properties as his own. Graham never told investors about the risks associated with transferring title to himself. On September 1, 2023, he sent a letter to investors, stating that the properties ‘we own’ are doing well and generating growth due to record-breaking home appreciation. But Gravitas no longer owned the properties.
“Gravitas no longer had assets at all.”
Furthermore, the securities office said Graham failed to notify investors of recent court orders against him in Colorado and California. In total, Graham was ordered to pay more than $1 million in damages related to previous real estate projects.
Graham’s most recent residence is in Reno, Nev., according to an online search of public records. He evidently has previously lived in Santa Monica, Calif., and Greenwood Village.
Colorado
Colorado weather: Temperatures staying in the 60s Sunday
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Colorado
Colorado Springs police search for missing 20-year-old
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Police are searching for a missing at-risk adult.
They said 20-year-old Brandon Hugney was last seen Saturday night, around 7 p.m., at the Walmart on Platte avenue.
They shared a picture of Hugney, describing him as a 6′ man last seen wearing black-framed glasses with red trim, a grey fleece, blue pajama pants and black and white slippers.
Police said he likely isn’t properly dressed for the weather and was last seen heading west behind Walmart.
If you know where he is or see him, call police at (719) 444-7000.
Copyright 2024 KKTV. All rights reserved.
-
Politics1 week ago
Canadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
Technology1 week ago
OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics1 week ago
U.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Business1 week ago
Freddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age
-
News1 week ago
East’s wintry mix could make travel dicey. And yes, that was a tornado in Calif.
-
Technology2 days ago
Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps