The FamilieSCN2A Foundation Announces The First Three (3) States Recognizing February 24th as SCN2A Awareness Day
Multiple hospital admissions and countless seizures are a way of life for kids with SCN2A related disorders.
The FamilieSCN2A Foundation announces proclamations received from three (3) US states: CA, MA, and PA declaring February 24th SCN2A Awareness Day.
The significance of the February 24th (2/24) date comes from the location of the SCN2A gene on the long (q) arm of chromosome “2” at position “24.3.” SCN2A encodes voltage-gated sodium ion channel Nav1.2. Sodium ion channels play a key role in a cell’s ability to generate and transmit electrical signals. Mutations or deletions of this gene are associated with autism, epilepsy, and other neurological issues such as movement disorders, cortical visual impairment and dysautonomia.
“SCN2A related disorders affect patients in a wide spectrum ranging from severe, life threatening conditions to intellectual disability, and almost all patients will live a life completely dependent on others for their care and safety,” said SCN2A Executive Director Leah Myers. “The recognition of February 24 as SCN2A Awareness Day will continue to help our efforts for early diagnosis, treatment and ultimately a cure to help those suffering from this devastating disorder and to protect future lives.”
The FamilieSCN2A Foundation started in 2015 with fewer than 100 families and now represents more than 1000 families around the globe. The Foundation not only offers direct support to families affected by this devastating disorder, but is also the largest non-government funding source for SCN2A research, primarily from grassroots donors. For more information, please visit www.scn2a.org.
SCN2A related disorders have recently been identified as the leading single gene cause of autism and epilepsy. Do you know someone with autism or epilepsy? If so, encourage them to talk to their clinicians about genetic testing and visit our website for additional resources.
You can help us amplify SCN2A voices by wearing the Foundation's colors on February 24th: purple (epilepsy,) blue (autism) and/or green (movement disorders.)
The FamilieSCN2A Foundation greatly appreciates the SCN2A families who advocated for these proclamations and the legislators in each state who sponsored the efforts.
For more information, please visit www.scn2a.org
Leah Myers
FamilieSCN2A Foundation
+1 301-252-8070
email us here
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