Please Vote!

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Hey Everyone -

This could be the most important thing you do today. Help find a cure!

Through the power of blog, I have recently become acquainted with a beautiful and inspiring woman who recently lost her 4 month old little angel, Makenzie due to a rare form of SMA. Before getting to know Kendra and her family, I knew very little about SMA, so I'm going to explain really quickly for those of you who do not know. SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) is a genetic disease that kills more babies than any other inherited disease. While these children are born perfectly healthy, it's usually only a matter of months before their bodies start to fail them - and once it starts, it does not stop. These poor babies will need 100% assistance in eating, breathing, and swallowing. 50% of them die before they reach 1. 90% before they are 2.

I urge all of you with a Facebook account to vote over the next week to help them earn the money to find a CURE for this horrible disease that is killing otherwise healthy babies.

To vote, go to: To vote, go to http://VoteForSMA.com

Thanks for passing this along,

Holly

Here is some more information below:

“Researchers at UC Irvine are really REALLY close to a cure for SMA, but they need funding to push it towards FDA approval. JP Morgan Chase Bank has committed to donating $5 million dollars to non-profit organizations and through a Facebook voting system, the voting for the BIG prize $1,000,000 (yes, one million) starts today, Friday, January 15th, 2010. We are asking that everyone go to the polls and vote for GSF so we can win and donate the money to end this cruel disease.

This is important for one main reason, $1,000,000 towards SMA research could actually END THIS DISEASE. Not "get the ball rolling" on research, not "hope for a cure," but actually end it. And, most importantly in my eyes, it could save the lives of children who currently have SMA. The research that is so close to FDA approval is one that could affect babies who already have SMA, and could completely remove them from symptoms.

Here are some facts:
Dr. Kierstad (UC Irvine) has dedicated his life to spinal cord injuries. He has already successfully performed a lab experiment on mice that allowed the previously-paralyzed animals to literally get up and walk. He is now focusing on SMA research. It is his belief that a groundbreaking surgery could allow the body to re-build the proteins that are missing in children with SMA.

Money is holding back a cure. Other diseases, such as breast cancer and AIDS, have massive amounts of funding and research behind them, but "cures" are still unknown. The "cure" for SMA is just around the corner, but nothing can be done until the funds are there to continue the research.

SMA is the #1 genetic killer of children under two years of age, and 1 in 40 adults (unknowingly) carry the gene to pass it on.

Voting is open (Jan 15 - Jan 22) and each person gets one vote per day. This is an effort sheerly driven by people voting: the GSF needs every single vote it can get. So, please, please, please, PLEASE vote and spread the word to every person you know.”