By: Srija Adabala 5th period
You will find out if you have Morquio Syndrome after running in most cases. Morquio syndrome is a disease of metabolism which is inherited (both parents must carry the defective gene) and causes birth defects. Freak dying early and being short I'd due to the fact that he has Morquio Syndrome. Morquio Syndrome had a profound impact on Kevin in the novel Freak the Mighty.
Morquio Syndrome is a rare, inherited (both parents must carry the gene) disease of metabolism which causes birth defects. Dr. Luis Morquio and Dr. James Brailsford discovered Morquio Syndrome in 1929. Although Dr. Morquio described the syndrome first, Dr. Brailsford described the syndrome as well. Sometimes it is called Morquio-Brailsford Syndrome for this reason. Some symptoms that occur because of Morquio Syndrome include shortness, bell shaped chest, large head, widely spaced teeth, possible heart and vision problems, and there are more that you can find out under the Extra tab! In Freak the Mighty Kevin has shortness and heart problems. He also walks with crutches because he can't walk properly. Morquio Syndrome is a very rare disease, only 1 in every 200,000 births have Morquio Syndrome. This is because there is only a 25% chance of getting Morquio Syndrome if both parents carry the disease.
Most people who have Morquio Syndrome are usually diagnosed with it when they are 1-3 years old, but they might be diagnosed with the syndrome as soon as 6 months old. A family history of the disease will increase risks. Morquio Syndrome is progressive. This means that it will get worse over time. For example some people might have mental development problems or crutches if they have Morquio Syndrome.
Morquio Syndrome affected the character Kevin in Freak the Mighty. For example Kevin can't walk properly, the author states that "He's able to hump down the stairs himself, except it makes him sort of out of breath..."( Philbrick15). This evidence proves that Kevin can't walk properly because he is humping. Kevin is also short, the text states " Then the strange little dude..."(Philbrick8). Therefore Kevin is short because the author describes him as little. Heart problems is a symptom of Morquio Syndrome as it happens in to Kevin as well. Dr. Spivak says "...'But what finally happened is his heart just got too big for his body...'"(Philbrick157). This passage illustrates that Freak has a heart problem because his heart got too big for his body. Freak humping, being small, and his heart problem are all ways that Morquio Syndrome affects him.
In conclusion, Morquio Syndrome has affected Kevin a lot in the novel Freak the Mighty Because it makes him small and makes him die early. If Freak didn't have Morquio Syndrome and wasn't small, maybe there would be no Freak the Mighty. This is because Tony D. calls Freak and Max names, so when Kevin calls him a cretin he starts to chase them. In this scenario, Max lifts Kevin up and puts him on his shoulders because Kevin can't walk properly. In the end Kevin's death is a result of Morquio Syndrome. On the other hand if he didn't have Morquio Syndrome he might have lived longer. If that did happen then he might have written the novel Freak the Mighty instead of Max, giving the novel a totally different perspective. A lesson that can be learned from this story is: We should be loyal to our friends, and support them. This is because in the novel Freak the Mighty, Max and Freak support each other. Max gives Freak abilities to do things he couldn't do, and Freak gives Max the confidence to believe in himself!
Clip from the movie where Tony D. and his gang chase Freak and Max around.