A Tale of Two Sisters

Mallory Cyr

            Mallory and Maisy Cyr are two sisters from the small town of Sabattus, Maine. Since they have both been on TPN the majority of their lives; their stories and accomplishments are anything but small.

Rare Disease Leads to TPN

            Mallory is the eldest of the two girls and just recently turned 21. This is miraculous because when she was an infant, doctors did not expect her to live past the age of two. Mallory was diagnosed with a very rare digestive disorder. It is called microvillous inclusion disease; which means that the microvilli are ingrown and the step of absorption in digestion is omitted. Because of this, Mallory had a central line placed and has been on TPN for twenty years of her life.

            It took a little over a year for Mallory to be diagnosed because the only symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting. To this day, the only other people diagnosed with this condition in the U.S. are two boys in California . They have since had small bowel transplants and are no longer on TPN. There have also been a few cases in the UK. Because of the rarity of this disease, treatment when Mallory was a child was still quite experimental. She was deprived of certain essential nutrients and only grew to a  height of 3’9”.                                                                                         

            Mallory just completed her junior year of college at the University of Maine at Farmington. She is a full-time creative writing major living on campus. She has been involved in almost every extra curricular activity available through her years at school; not to mention her very active social life. When living with a chronic illness of any kind, it is important to never take anything for granted and to live every day to the fullest. Even though Mallory is a firm believer in living the “no day but today” life, it can’t hurt to look to the future. After completing school, Mallory hopes to live in an urban setting doing freelance work or writing her autobiography. She is willing to go wherever the world takes her.

Walking in Familiar Footsteps

            Maisy is going to be thirteen this summer and she could not be closer to being a perfect, beautiful, active adolescent — except for the fact that she is on TPN and has been since she was about two years old. Maisy’s MID onset was later than Mallory’s and less of a problem because the doctors knew what they were looking for. They were also much more advanced when they began the TPN. Because of Anna’s watchful eye (Mal and Maisy’s mother), Maisy got all of her nutrients from day one and she is of average height.

            Maisy is also a performer and loves dancing, singing and acting on stage; all of which she excels at doing. She is an excellent student and spends her weekends going to the movies and dances with her friends, but her true passion is at the farm. Maisy spends the majority of her free time at a horse farm, riding, working and doing anything that needs to be done. She has participated in many horse shows and taken home nine blue ribbons; even competing in some classes which were all adults.

            The Cyr girls undoubtedly have had their fair share of challenges; but between their endless determination, love of life and amazing support from their parents, Anna and Mike, it is no doubt that they have become, and will continue to be, successful, ambitious young ladies. In such a wonderful, busy world, with so much to offer, TPN is merely an essential accessory!