Braving the cold to help find a cure.

On behalf of the Rocky Mountain Chapter – Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, I want to thank the many who donated and those who braved a cold morning on September 12, 2009, and participated in our 10th Annual Cure SMA 5K Walk-n-Roll & Run Across America ~ Colorado!

SMA is the leading genetic killer of children under the age of two. Diagnosed mostly in infants and young children, SMA is an often fatal motor neuron disease that destroys the nerves affecting all voluntary muscle movement such as walking and crawling, to smiling, swallowing, and breathing. Half of the babies born with SMA will not live to celebrate their second birthday. Those who do survive, face a challenging life as their muscles slowly fail. There are no approved therapies for the treatment of SMA, which affects one in every 6,000 babies. One in every 40 people carries the gene that causes SMA, indicating approximately 7.5 million carriers in the United States.

The ultimate goal at Families of SMA is to accelerate the discovery of an effective treatment and cure for SMA. Through your support and participation, this year’s event raised over $33,000!

Families of SMA has been supporting research for over 25 years and because of its grass-roots fundraising efforts, research developments are making tremendous progress. Families of SMA funds and directs the leading SMA research programs. Successful results and progress from basic research to drug discovery programs to clinical trials provide real hope for families and patients.

Thank you again for your generosity. Your support really does make a difference!

Sincerely,
Julie Lino