Why are the VanderZandens uniting for the cure?

After a year and a half of trying to conceive a child, Josh and Shawna were devastated that it may not ever happen for them. They felt like it wasn’t fair that their dream of having a family was now going to be turned into costly fertility treatments and painful procedures. They made an appointment with a fertility specialist and as soon as they made it they found out they were pregnant. The VanderZandens welcomed their daughter Kayla Grace into the world on April 21, 2008; they couldn’t have been happier! Unfortunately, on November 10, 2008 Kayla was diagnosed with SMA. They were told Kayla’s condition would only progress and would result in a very short life — at 7 months old, based on SMA statistics, Kayla’s life was almost half over. Over the last nine months the VanderZandens have learned to hold onto hope that someday a cure will be found and their daughter will have a chance at the life they thought she would have — filled with ballet classes, soccer practice, etc. The VanderZandens have joined Unite For The Cure to give that hope to all families impacted by SMA.