Conn3cted Goes Orange!

Do you know what the most common genetic cause of childhood obesity is?

From our experience, many people don’t know that the answer is Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS).

If you’re following us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you would have noticed that we went orange during May. May is PWS awareness month and participants are encouraged to ‘Go Orange for PWS’ to raise awareness about this rare genetic disorder.

Conn3cted have always supported the Go Orange for PWS campaign, as our CXO and co-founder Emily Garcia has a daughter Ella, who was born with the genetic disorder and as a family, they have to live with the daily challenges that this lifelong condition presents.

PWS is an extremely complex disorder that is caused by the deletion or absence of several genes in Chromosome 15. A defect in the hypothalamus is believed to be the cause of PWS symptoms. Excessive hunger, or hyperphagia, is the main symptom of PWS. Those with PWS have NO control over their feelings of hunger. They don’t have that signal in their brain that tells them when their stomach is full. This can lead to significant weight gain and obesity if food intake is not monitored. The catch 22 is that they require less food than their peers who do not have it, as their low muscle mass means that they burn fewer calories.

PWS sufferers also live with a variety of other symptoms. Our social posts throughout May were carefully created to explain the intricacies of PWS so that people get a better understanding of how it impacts the lives of those who have it.

We aimed to raise $700 for the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Australia (PWSA), and ended up almost doubling our target. PWSA aim to provide parents, people with PWS, providers and others better support and assistance. Most of the funds raised will go towards research, with the hope that a cure is found to help alleviate the hunger.

On May 31st we hosted  an orange themed morning tea in our office, where Ella was the special guest. We encouraged our staff members to wear orange and provided healthy snacks, most of it a reflection of what Ella eats. Check out some of the photos from the morning tea below!