My kids have childhood dementia — doctors say they won’t live to 20

A devastated mom has revealed that all three of her young children have been diagnosed with childhood dementia.

Renee Staska, who hails from Australia, made the heartbreaking declaration during an interview on “A Current Affair” Monday night, saying her kids are not expected to survive until adulthood.

“Everyone thinks tomorrow’s a given, but it’s not, so we just get through one day at a time,” the mom mournfully stated.

Staska’s children, Hudson, 8, Holly, 6, and Austin, 4, all have Niemann-Pick disease type C1.

The rare disease — which affects less than 5,000 people across the United States — is caused by a genetic mutation in both parents’ DNA, according to the National Institutes of Health. There is no known cure, with most children dying in their teenage years.

Staska had no idea any of her young children were suffering from the illness until doctors discovered younger son Austin had an enlarged liver back in 2020 when he was just 8 months old.

“They found Niemann-Pick disease type C1, which is a type of childhood dementia. I got given it on a piece of paper and told this is what it is, it was terminal, there was no cure or treatment,” Staska stated.

A specialist informed Staska that there was a 25% chance her two older children might also have the disease and carried out testing, despite the fact the children appeared to be developing as normal.

Shockingly, the tests determined that Hudson and Holly also had Niemann-Pick disease type C1.

“I cried and I cried,” Staska recalled of the moment she learned of the devastating diagnosis.

Three years on, the mom says that both Hudson and Holly are now starting to show signs of childhood dementia.

“Hudson struggles to read and write at school,” Staska stated. “Holly’s challenges are different. She breaks her own heart because she can’t keep up [with other children]. She tries so hard and can’t understand why it’s not working for her.”

Their symptoms are only expected to become more severe over time.

“They’ll start to regress, start to lose memories and body functions, as well as the ability to talk, the ability to eat until there’s nothing left to lose,” the mom declared.

While the disease is incredibly rare, parents are urged to be educated about potential symptoms, which include an enlarged liver and spleen, difficulty coordinating movement and difficulty with speech and swallowing.