Help sought for local youth

A bank account has been established to help pay for travel expenses for a Tucumcari youth looking at a potential liver transplant.

The Jaxon Witterman account at Tucumcari’s Wells Fargo branch is for Jaxon, born July 6.

The boy has been diagnosed with branched-chain ketoaciduria, a disorder affecting amino acids. The condition is also known as maple syrup urine disease for the distinctive odor of an affected infant’s urine.

The body’s failure to break down a trio of amino acids — leucine, isoleucine and valine — leads to a buildup of chemicals that can cause brain damage or other complications.