WHAT IS TREACHER COLLINS SYNDROME?
Treacher Collins syndrome affects the development of bones and other tissues in the face.
The signs and symptoms vary greatly, ranging from almost unnoticeable to the severe.
Most sufferers will have underdeveloped facial bones, most notably the cheekbones, and a very small jaw and chin.
Some people born with the condition are also born with a cleft palate.
In severe cases, underdevelopment of the facial bones may restrict an affected infant’s airway, causing potentially life-threatening respiratory problems.
People with TC often have eyes that slant downwards, sparse eyelashes, and notch in the lower eyelid, known as an eyelid coloboma.
Some affected individuals can lose their vision.
The syndrome is characterised by absent, small or unusually formed ears.
And hearing loss occurs in around half of all sufferers.
It is usually caused by defects of the three small bones in the middle ear, which transmit sound, or by the underdevelopment of the ear canal.
The condition affects one in 50,000 people and is caused by mutations of a specific gene.
Back in school, I was one of the bullies.
This story puts me in tears.