Hey all! I am PLEADING with you to help out a cause I care deeply about. Until the end of this month, Pepsi is hosting a contest for the best new idea in America. I have a friend who runs www.stopsma.org to help cure this disease. Her niece is affected by it and scientists are very close to the cure. But it takes money to fund the research. StopSMA was approved to compete for the 250,000 prize! We are currently in 8th place and desperately need more votes! You can vote every day until voting ends. Please do not vote for any other 250K competitors, but you are welcome to cast votes for the other monetary award values. Below is a little information about SMA:
SMA is a deadly and relatively common genetic disease and is the leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers. It is the absence/defect in the Survival Motor Neuron Gene (SMN1) that causes Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The SMN1 gene codes for survival of motor neuron (SMN) protein, and this protein is critical to the survival and health of motor neurons, nerve cells in our spinal cord that our brain uses to control our muscles. Without sufficient SMN protein, motor neurons shrink and die. As the motor neuron network breaks down, the ability of the brain to control muscles diminishes and with less control and use, muscles weaken and waste away. The symptoms of this disease get worse over the lifespan of the person with SMA.
SMA Fast Facts:
* #1 genetic killer of young children
* 1 in 40 people unknowingly carry the gene
* 1 in 6,000 babies are born with SMA
* there is usually no previous family history
* it is a pan-ethnic disease, it does not discriminate based on race or gender
* it has been selected as the disease closest to a treatment of nearly 600 neurological disorders
* researcher believe that a treatment will be found within the next 5 YEARS with the PROPER RESOURCES
YOU CAN VOTE BY CLICKING BELOW! Thank you so much!!!
Sweet Evie that has SMA
Why not vote? Help out these poor kids. All it takes is a click… I just did.