The story of survival of infants exposed to Eliot Mooney trisomy 18 was so touching. Eliot only survived 99 days in the womb because the mother, Eliot had detected a genetic disorder.

Both parents Matt and Ginny Mooney from U.S. Arkansas, determined to make the days of Eliot little meaningful until his death in October 2006. On the day of his funeral Matt and Ginny took off 99 colorful balloons on Eliot's grave as a form of homage.

Matt and Ginny record day by day Eliot condition without feeling sad but full of joy. They promised not to upset for assisting Eliot Eliot and consider the most beautiful gift and never regretted his birth.

Perhaps many parents who do not know about the disease trisomy 18. This disease causes a newborn can not survive more than a few days and just waiting for a death sentence.

The disease commonly called trisomy 18 with Edwards syndrome, a condition on the chromosomal abnormalities that cause 18 kids reduced intellectual ability and abnormal body parts.

Characteristics of children born with trisomy 18 include:

1. Having a low body weight
2. Form of abnormal head, smaller and flat head
3. Mouth, jaws and small ears, upward slanting eyes and flat nose which makes it difficult to breathe
4. Slack muscles, weak heart and other organ abnormalities.
5. Mentally retarded

The ratio of infected infants have trisomy 18 is 1 of 5000 babies newborn. Because many health problems caused, so many babies who died at the age of first month. Only 5 to 10 percent of babies with this condition which can last until the age of 1 year. Although there also can survive up to teenagers but with a variety of health problems and developments. Almost 80 percent of babies are affected by this disease is a baby girl.

The cause of this disease is abnormal chromosome 18 in babies has 3 copies of chromosomes 18 in each cell, whereas normally there are only 2 copies of chromosomes. The advantages of this genetic material that interfere with normal development of infants, causing abnormalities in various organs of the body, as quoted from MedlinePlus.

An estimated 5 percent of people who have excess number of chromosome 18 occurs only in a few cells only. For this type, called a mosaic trisomy 18. The severity of this disease depends on the type and number of cells that have the advantages of this chromosome. The development of infants with this type of trisomy is different.

The case with trisomy 18 is not hereditary, but it is random during the formation of egg and sperm cells. An error in cell division called nondisjunction that produces reproductive cells with the number of abnormal chromosomes. For example an egg or sperm cell to produce copies of chromosome 18 excess, if any of these chromosomes are involved in the genetic process of conception the child is born will have 18 extra chromosome in the cell body.

Although not a sign of abnormality trisomy 18, parents who become carriers (carriers) have a risk of having children with the condition of trisomy 18 greater.

To prevent this initial examination on a pregnant woman, seen from the size of the uterus is not normal and excess amniotic fluid. Physical examination in infants by looking at the fingerprint pattern that is not normal, and examination through the X-ray.

For parents who have had children with trisomy 18 and want to have children again, it is important to do a first chromosome because the risk of having a child with trisomy 18 greater.

The best prevention is to examine the chromosomes prior to pregnancy, to see if there's something wrong with the number of chromosomes found in the parent cells.