Meet Jennifer and Tim New of Georgia, uniting for the cure. The News have jumped on board Unite For The Cure, committing to help raise $100,000 for Dr. Keirstead’s SMA stem cell trial at UC Irvine because they feel, “Unite For The Cure is a wonderful way to not only help funding for Type I research, but will also help bring much needed awareness of SMA.”
Why are Jennifer and Tim New uniting for the cure?
Chance New was born on June 25, 2008 in Riverdale, Georgia. As most babies, he was the light of the New’s world. He was the 3rd of three children given to “hold” by GOD by Jennifer and Tim New. At 4-months-old the doctors noticed Chance was unable to roll over, hold his head up, even move his hands off the floor. Although his mental skills were exceeding, his motor skills lacked. This quickly led to physical therapy, feeding therapy, neurologists, and then ultimately geneticists. At 9-months-old, Chance was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type I. Unsure of any treatment/cure, cause, and what could be done, the News sought help from doctors and mainly the Internet. During a visit to the geneticist they discovered that Chance had already made it past average life expectancy for children with SMA Type I and that there was absolutely nothing they could do. They would not accept that as the answer. They would not sit back and watch their youngest child be taken away! Well, GOD had other plans! Just two weeks after his diagnosis, while visiting with his grandparents, Chance woke up very lethargic and pale. After not eating and a breathing treatment, his symptoms became worse. Jennifer and Chance’s Grandpa rushed him to the emergency room, watching Chance take very little breaths, and he even stopped breathing for a minute in Jennifer’s arms. When they got to the emergency room the doctors and nurses took Chance in and immediately hooked him to a nasal canula and oxygen mask. Chance was then rushed to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where the News found an amazing team. Exactly one week after this incident, Chance went home to be with his Heavenly Father, April 17, 2009, at just 9-and-a-half-months-old. Jennifer and Tim have started a foundation in Georgia, Second Chance 4 SMA, in hopes of finding a cure for this disease. They want nothing more than to watch their children grow up and live healthy, “normal” lives. They feel that Unite For The Cure is a wonderful way to not only help funding for Type I research, but will also help bring much needed awareness of SMA. Jennifer and Tim are very pleased to be part of Unite For The Cure and are going to do all they can to make sure that their children and families living with SMA will soon be able to sleep at night knowing that they will not wake up with their child forever “asleep” in their arms!
