Devin Brittain

Event at Cold Stone will support those with congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Three-year-old Devin Brittain of Albany was born with a medical condition that requires him to take 70 pills a month and receive regular injections of a liquid steroid.

Devin’s mother, Rhonda Brittain, wants others to be aware of Devin’s condition and raise money for research, education and support for those also suffering from congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a genetic disease.

To do that, she is hosting an evening of fun and ice cream from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Cold Stone Creamery, 2195 14th Ave. S.E. in Albany. Proceeds will go to the CARES Foundation, a nonprofit agency whose mission is to help those with CAH.

Rhonda Brittain, 27, is a property manager in Albany and Devin’s father, Melvin Brittain, 30, makes prostheses. Devin’s sister, Christina Alvarez, does not have the disease.

As part of his illness, Devin doesn’t produce cortisol. The hormone secreted by the adrenal glands ensures proper glucose metabolism, regulates blood pressure and helps fight infection.

Cortisol also assists in providing quick bursts of energy, heightens memory function and lowers sensitivity to pain.

About one in 100 people is affected with CAH, Brittain said.

“Despite this high prevalence, there is little research being done for a cure, and public awareness remains low,” she said.

The Brittain family has a good health plan so none of the money raised on Thursday will go for Devin’s medical care, Brittain said.

“Devin will have this condition for the rest of his life,” she said. “He’ll have to take medication all of the time because if he doesn’t, he could have seizures and then die of a heart attack. I don’t know how long he will live but we want him to live as normal a life as possible.”

Brittain said she picked Cold Stone Creamery for her fundraiser after noticing a flyer in the store that said the company held fundraisers.

“I thought, I’m going to do that,” she said. “I didn’t know how much time something like that would take. My whole goal, though, is to see how much money I can raise in the month of April.”

For more information about CAH, visit www.caresfoundation.org.

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