We are excited to announce Audra and Alan Butler have enthusiastically signed on to Unite For The Cure! Audra and Alan Butler are uniting in honor of their darling son, Andy, who recently passed away from SMA Type 1. The Butlers have committed to raising $5,000 by the end of November 2009 with 100% of the funds they raise going directly to the SMA stem cell program headed by Dr. Hans Keirstead at UC Irvine.
Why have the Butlers decided to unite for the cure?
“Andy Butler was diagnosed with Type 1 SMA or Werdnig-Hoffmann Disease, when he was just nine weeks old. As the disease progressed, it quickly robbed him of his ability to move, suck, swallow and breathe. The disease took his life on June 4, 2009, leaving his parents, Audra and Alan Butler, devastated. Andy passed away four days before his five-month birthday; SMA robbed him of his chance at life. Before his diagnosis, the Butlers had never heard of SMA, and now it is their mission to prevent other families from going through this nightmare. Audra Butler serves on the board of the Greater Florida chapter of FSMA and is very involved in fundraising and grassroots outreach efforts. She also created “Andy’s Army” on Facebook to help spread awareness and to raise funds to support the “Unite For The Cure” campaign. Although a cure won’t save Andy, it will save other lives and serve as his legacy.”
Welcome aboard Audra and Alan! We are touched and honored that you are eager to be part of getting this promising research to and through human clinical trials. Thank you for being an integral part of Unite For The Cure!
This is great stuff..thanks to the Butlers.