Dave and Tara Ritchie will run the NYC Marathon in effort to help the VanHoutan family raise money for Batten Disease.

Noah VanHoutan is a green-eyed, angelic little boy who ran, talked, and loved playing catch until he was four years old. Within one short year, he was silenced and confined to a wheelchair due to a rare childhood disorder called Batten Disease. His three-year-old, blond-haired sister Laine was just diagnosed with the same disease in August 2009.

The type of Batten Disease the VanHoutan children have is also known as Late Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (LINCL), occurs in an estimated two to four of every 100,000 births in the United States. Over time, children affected by Batten Disease suffer from epilepsy, become unable to communicate and mentally impaired, and lose their sight and motor skills. Eventually they become tube fed, bedridden, and suffer from dementia. At this time, Batten Disease is always fatal and ends in death, usually between the ages of 8 and 12. For more information, please visit www.NoahsHope.com

Contacts
Media Inquiries: Contact Jennifer VanHoutan via
e-mail at Jennifer@NoahsHope.com.
More information: Please visit www.NoahsHope.com.

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