every now and then, i find something online that totally sucks me in and i become emotionally involved.  (hide your surprise.)

last night, thanks to postsecret leading me to this website and then to this blog, i have, once again, become emotionally involved.

basically, the postsecret posting made me aware of a disease called spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA.  it is the number one genetic killer of infants under the age of 2.  generally speaking, these kiddos are diagnosed around 6 months and, in severe cases, their bodies rapidly fail them (while their minds remain intact) and in most cases won't live to see their second birthday.  sad?  an understatment.   what's worse?  a cure is possible now.  yet, children are still dying because the research isn't finished yet.

SMA has been identified as one of the most curable neurological disorders today… however, research is desperately needed.  here's where you come in — and it's free.  you simply have to sign the petition, which you can find here, that lets your representative know that you care about SMA and wish to have funding available for research NOW. 

kids are dying… 7.5 million americans, or 1 in 40, are carriers for the disease and an estimated 1 in 6,000 children are born with some type of SMA each year.   that's a lot of kids, folks!

one of those sweet babies is the amazing gwendolyn strong.  her parents, bill and victoria, are the sponsors of the above petition and have dedicated their lives to spreading awareness of SMA.  their blog is joyful, heartbreaking, tear-jerking, and inspiring…. and i should know, because i sat here last night and read the entire year and a half of posts.

so please, do two things that will take you two seconds and will cost you nothing.  one, go sign the petition!!!  this is what you'd be supporting:

For the first time, legislation has been proposed in the United States
Congress to allocate federal resources to non-profit and research
organizations focused solely on finding a treatment and/or cure for
SMA.

i know you support that!

now, number two is to  bookmark gwendolyn's blog and check in on her once in awhile.  if you are the praying type, say a prayer for her strength and the strength of her parents to endure this fight. if you are the scientific type, then check in to see about new findings or petitions or sponsoring opportunities that might support the strongs and the other 600 babies that will be born with SMA this year alone.

and if you still don't want to do either of those things, then go hug your children, or your dog, or your mom, or your neighbor, and simply be thankful for each and every moment.