Families of sick find support in Rochester

ROCHESTER - All three of Darlene Royalty's daughters began to go blind at age 8, victims of a rare and brutal brain disorder with no cure.

Against the odds, Amber, Sandy and Sarah have survived into their 20s. They cannot speak or see, rely on feeding tubes, spend most of their days in bed at their home in tiny Ursa, Ill., and take multiple drugs to control seizures, clear their lungs, and relieve the anxiety or pain that comes with Batten disease.

They were diagnosed within three months of each other in 1995.