Meet Haven Fowler
Two-year-old Haven Fowler has doubled in size in one month. Doctors suggest a strict diet. When she still gains weight, they find and remove a cancerous tumor, but that doesn't stop the problem.
The Diet Doesn't Work
Haven's parents, Misty & Kris, are very concerned, but a blood test shows that nothing is wrong. They put Haven on a diet, but it doesn't stop her horrifying weight gain.
A Turn for the Worse
Then Haven's condition begins to get worse. Haven begins having bizarre night terrors, sleepwalking around the house, and even eating in her sleep. Misty and Kris are pushed to the brink after months of sleepless nights.
911 Call
Then one night, Haven suffers a seizure so severe that she stops breathing. She's rushed to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. After a series of tests, doctors find a cancerous tumor in Haven's cranium. Believing that this tumor is the source of all of Haven's bizarre symptoms, Misty and Kris immediately agree to surgery to remove it.
Weight Gain Continues
Within weeks of the surgery, however, Haven is still gaining weight, sleepwalking and having nightmares. Further research leads doctors to diagnose Haven with ROHHAD ??? Rapid-onset Obesity, with Hypothalamic Dysfunction, Hypoventilation and Autonomic Dysregulation.
Finally, the Right Treatment
Haven undergoes an experimental and very aggressive course of chemotherapy. Within weeks, she stops gaining weight. Doctors are optimistic that the effects will be long-lasting.
On Her Way Back
Today, Haven is a happy first-grader who loves to play with her dog, Dizi. She loves art class and wants to be a teacher when she grows up. Her disease is under control, but she must still watch her weight. Now Haven makes a game of counting the calories in her diet.
