Allison
|
Allison Dunvegan Reed, 23, was brought to a suburban Detroit emergency room, with sudden and severe mid-back pain, writhing and vomiting. She was unusually tall and thin at 6 feet, 170 pounds; the lower portion of her body disproportionately long; her armspan exceeding her height; with extreme myopia; a high, arched palate; a long face; extremely flexible joints; long, flat feet; long fingers and toes, and pectus excavatum. She was diagnosed with a stomach flu and sent home to rest with plenty of fluids. Fours day later, on November 1, 1994, she died of pericardial tamponade when her dissecting aortic aneurysm ran its course. She had undiagnosed Marfan syndrome.
People with Marfan syndrome are at significant risk for aortic aneurysm and dissection, up to 250 times greater risk than the general population. Without proper monitoring and medications to reduce stress, the aorta could tear, resulting in sudden death as with Allison. Her life might have been saved if an echocardiogram, CT scan or MRI had been done to rule out aortic dissection, often felt as throat, chest, jaw, head or back pain. Surgery to replace the damaged section of her aorta could have given Allison a normal lifespan.
Following her death, Allison’s mother, Judith, was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome. Judith has made it her mission to raise awareness of Marfan syndrome and aortic dissection. Over the years, she has visited many Detroit-area emergency rooms with her message with the hope of saving the lives of others.