'She's with her sister now': Liza Burke's sudden death 15 years after Edie leaves family shattered
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA: The family of a University of Georgia student, who lost her life after suddenly being diagnosed with a brain tumor, has reportedly not faced such a tragedy for the first time. Liza Burke was on a trip to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico when she became unwell.
In Mexico, the 21-year-old was diagnosed with a brain bleed, and at the time, it was believed to have happened because of an anterior venous malformation (AVM). But later in Jacksonville, Liza tested positive for a tumor near her brain stem. Despite three weeks of radiation, she did not make any progress, and her family took the difficult decision to not continue with the procedure.
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Eventually, on April 28, the young woman breathed her last as shared by her mother Laura on a PostHope.org page. She noted, “It is with both relief and belief that I share Liza’s passing at around 2:20 last night. Liza has now been reunited with her sister and they are making up for lost time!” without mentioning her sibling’s name.
Who was Liza Burke's sister and how did she die?
As per reports, Liza’s sister Edie died just a few months before her tenth birthday. On May 2, 2008, the nine-year-old breathed her last after suffering from a genetic disorder called Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS-Type 1) since she was 13 months old.
It has been reported that at the time of her diagnosis, it was said that she would live five to 10 years. Though Edie struggled with mobility issues, she did not stop laughing and communicating with her eyes. According to a person known to the Burke family, Anne Fitten Glenn, “Edie and my daughter were born less than a month apart. When Edie and my girl were in nursery school, Edie was still mobile, still talking. One of the evils of MPS-1 is that the child develops to the level of about an 18-month-old, and then regresses.”
“The words Edie learned, including my daughter’s name, she lost, as she lost the ability to walk, feed herself, or even hold a loved toy. Yet, just a couple months before she died, I watched her giggle uncontrollably as a neighbor’s son made funny faces at her,” Glenn added.
What is Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS-Type 1)?
As per MedlinePlus, a rare disease in which the "body is missing or does not have enough of an enzyme needed to break down long chains of sugar molecules," is called Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I). It states, "People with MPS I do not make an enzyme called lysosomal alpha-L-iduronidase. This enzyme helps break down long chains of sugar molecules called glycosaminoglycans.”
“These molecules are found throughout the body, often in mucus and in fluid around the joints. Without the enzyme, glycosaminoglycans build up and damage organs, including the heart. Symptoms can range from mild to severe. The mild form is called attenuated MPS I and the severe form is called severe MPS I,” the website adds.