Photo: University of Iowa
(Undated) -- An Urbandale girl will be the Kid Captain at the next Iowa Hawkeye football game. Maggie Larson has been treated at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital for a rare, terminal disease. She was diagnosed with the genetic disorder when she was three and has been getting spinal infusions to improve her quality of life. She also gets injections to help lessen muscle cramping. She's now 6 years old and a student in the 1st grade. Maggie will be the Kid Captain when the Hawkeyes host Western Michigan this Saturday.
Larson's parents were told when she was diagnosed she would have a short life expectancy and nothing could be done. They enrolled her in a clinical trial at U IA Stead Family Children's Center to slow the progression of the illness, called metachromatic leukodystrophy. The disorder causes fatty substances to build up in cells, particularly in the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, due to a lack of an enzyme that helps break down lipids.