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Saint Charles proclaims March Loeys-Dietz awareness month; council recognizes women and social workers
Summary
Mayor Laura Vitec proclaimed March 2025 as Loeys-Dietz syndrome awareness month and the council recognized Women’s History Month and National Social Work Month during the March 3 Saint Charles City Council meeting.
Mayor Laura Vitec proclaimed March 2025 as Loeys-Dietz syndrome awareness month at the Saint Charles City Council meeting on March 3, 2025, and invited a local family affected by the condition to speak about its impact.
The proclamation and family remarks aimed to raise local awareness of Loeys-Dietz syndrome, a rare genetic connective-tissue disorder that can affect the heart, blood vessels, eyes, teeth, bones, joints and lungs and often requires lifelong monitoring and care.
Kathleen, Nolan’s mother, told the council that Loeys-Dietz is often misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed and described the medical care her son receives. “Nolan is a type 1, which, tends to have the most heart surgery, and he has about 15 doctors currently monitoring him at Lurie Children’s,” Kathleen said. She said Nolan’s condition was diagnosed after delayed milestones and that he was diagnosed at age 3 with an aortic root aneurysm. Kathleen said Nolan has had restrictions at school, used a cranial helmet, and has had three hernia surgeries.
The mayor read a proclamation that described Loeys-Dietz syndrome as potentially life‑threatening and noted that awareness and research could improve diagnosis and treatment. The proclamation also referenced the Marfan Foundation as the larger organization that formerly included Loeys-Dietz work before it was recognized as a separate syndrome.
Council members also observed Women’s History Month and National Social Work Month. Mayor Vitec noted that since February 2014 the city has assigned a social worker to assist first responders in crisis and intervention cases and said the police department’s social worker helps nearly 400 people a year by connecting them with services. The council additionally encouraged community attendance at the upcoming Saint Charles Polar Plunge, an event supporting Special Olympics.
The council took no formal vote on the proclamations during the meeting beyond the mayor’s reading of the proclamation and the council’s recognitions. The meeting proceeded to other agenda items and then adjourned.
