Since its creation in 1991 as "Andrew's Buddies," FightSMA has worked to bring higher levels of awareness and understanding of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) - the #1 inherited cause of infant death. Since then, the organization’s mission has been to strategically accelerate a treatment or a cure for this terrible disease by funding research and raising public awareness.
SMA has been described by researchers as a relatively common rare disease. One in 40 Americans (7.5 million) unknowingly carry the SMA gene – meaning that if two carriers have a child, there is a 1 in 4 chance that their baby will have SMA. Nearly 70 % of children diagnosed with SMA have the most severe form and will not live to see their second birthday. Others will never walk and are confined to power wheelchairs. Breathing, swallowing, and coughing become a struggle – a common cold can kill a child with SMA. Some even loose the muscle strength to laugh and smile.
There is no cure…yet. But, there is hope.
FightSMA has funded SMA researchers at numerous academic institutions and biotech corporations in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Canada. The tremendous strides that have been made in SMA research over the years prompted the National Institutes of Health to designate SMA as a model disease. This means that SMA research lays the foundation for research into other neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), Duchene’s Muscular Dystrophy, and Alzheimer’s Disease.
We are so close to finding a cure, but there is still much to be done. With the support of hardworking individuals and generous companies, we are able to continue the fight against this disease. Thank you for your consideration and your time.
Get involved in
FightSMA's Gene Therapy Fundraising Campaign:
"Realizing the Dream!"
Make a personal fundraising page!
Firstgiving walks you though all the steps of making your personal fundraising page in support of FightSMA. You have your own space to tell in your own words why FightSMA is important to you and why others should support it too. Then you can share that page with friends and family by sending an email, posting a link on your blog, or adding a link on your social networking site like Facebook or MySpace.
It is easier than you think, but if you run into trouble, just contact Firstgiving's friendly support staff.
Connect with FightSMA!
