Since 2022, Elizabeth Trepanier has been living with a rare health disorder that has severely altered her way of life.
Known as Superior Mesenteric Aerty Syndrome, SMAS is a condition where the small intestine is partially closed from compression of nearby arteries.
Trepanier’s mother Megan Schiestel said eating has become a painful thing for her daughter to do. Trepanier is now being homeschooled because she is bedridden for portions of the day.
“I don’t know how many people can handle the pain she goes through every day, her pain levels are between six and eight every day,” Schiestel said.
SMAS can impact anyone, but it’s found more often in females.
There are a wide range of symptoms including abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and weight loss.
SMAS is hard to pinpoint because of how rarely it’s seen and is sometimes mistaken for other conditions.
Staci Gruber is from Telephone, Texas, northeast of Dallas. In 2011, she was involved in a car accident which left her with internal pains. After 18 months of working with doctors she was diagnosed with SMAS.
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Gruber is now apart of a support network for those living with the condition. She said children dealing with the disorder is the hardest situation to be in for the entire family.
“What you do every day, we sit down for dinner. If you can’t do that for your children, life is really hard. Watching your child struggle to eat and fade away,” said Gruber.
A fundraiser is being held in Estevan for Trepanier. The funds raised will go towards a trip out of province for a unique surgery. Her family is hopeful it will greatly improve her health.
“She’s 13 and all she wants to do is get back into jiu-jitsu. She wants to ride a horse. We are just fighting to get her life back,” said Schiestel.
