Everyone knows to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, but those affected by cerebral palsy will also be wearing green and raising awareness on March 25 for Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day.
Cerebral palsy is a non-progressive disorder of the motor control areas of the developing brain. It is caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the brain. About 764,000 children and adults currently have cerebral palsy, and about 10,000 babies born each year will develop cerebral palsy.
When Ruth and Kody McCain’s first son was about 18 months old, he was diagnosed with Partial Merosin Congenital Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic condition where both parents are carriers but do not generally have symptoms of the disease. With this diagnosis, the couple learned that there was a 1 in 4 chance that their other children would have it.
During the last week of December 2016, the FDA formally approved a new drug from Biogen called Spinraza (nusinersen) for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA.) Just five years ago, there were no approved therapies to treat the underlying cause of SMA. MDA has funded foundational work in SMA and invested nearly $750,000 in awards for early-stage development of nusinersen. Since its inception, MDA has invested more than $45 million in SMA research. This breakthrough will help Nebraskans like Ollie and is only possible because of your gifts.
Community Health Charities of Nebraska (CHC-NE) has awarded Valmont Coatings West Point Galvanizing the Platinum Award, which is the highest per capita award possible. This award recognizes all of Valmont’s employees who donated during the annual employee giving campaign, which helps support those in Nebraska affected by a chronic health issue.
