A MUM has described grieving both her children while cuddling them after they were diagnosed with ‘baby Alzheimer’s' one after the other. Jillian, 35, and Donald Arnold, 37, were over the moon after welcoming their son, Roman James, and daughter, Stella. 8 Jillian Arnold, 25, with her kids Roman and Stella who were diagnosed with acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (ASMD) Credit: Jam Press/Jillian Arnold 8 Both children appeared 'perfectly healthy' at first - Roman was diagnosed at six months old Credit: Jam Press/Jillian Arnold 8 Jillian and Donald, 37, hoped Stella might be spared, but she also received the devastating diagnosis at three months old Credit: Jam Press/Jillian Arnold 8 Given a life expectancy of three years, Jillian described grieving for her babies while holding them Credit: Jam Press/Jillian Arnold Both children appeared “perfectly healthy” at first.
But the couple’s happiness soon evaporated into a nightmare, after doctors revealed that Roman and Stella had a rare genetic disorder that would cause them to slowly regress into "shells" of themselves. "The moment we got the diagnosis, our lives completely changed," Jillian, from Cincinnati, Ohio, told NeedToKnow. "I felt like it couldn't be real and couldn't understand why this was happening to us.
"Top paediatric doctors told us they hadn't seen a case of this kind for 20 years. “The most difficult aspect of this disease is watching your once healthy and vibrant children start to become a shell of wh.
