Many of you may remember a post I wrote a while back about a beautiful little girl named, Gwendolyn Strong who has terrible disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). If you didn't read that post and would like to read it, please click here. Victoria, Gwendolyn's mom, emailed me the other day with some updates that I wanted to share with you.

First of all, they have gotten over 60,000 signatures for their online petition! That is wonderful progress and as a result, The SMA Treatment Acceleration Act of 2009, legislation to enhance federal support of SMA research, was reintroduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in May 2009! With the wave of momentum from the 110th Congress and the continued, passionate push at every level, they are hopeful that this important bill will be passed soon. So, keep the signatures coming and help them reach their goal of 100,000 signatures!

Also, Victoria and Bill (Gwendolyn's dad) have started the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (GSF) seeks to raise awareness about and fund research for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), the leading genetic killer of young children, and support those impacted by SMA and other life-altering diseases.

At the end of June, they will be traveling 5,000 miles via RV from California to Mississippi to unite Gwendolyn with her 104-year-old great-grandfather. And in an effort to create more national awareness about SMA and raise funds to cure this disease, they have launched "Sponsor-A-Mile to End SMA!" to go along with Gwendolyn's drive across the country. The RV will be decorated with banners, flyers and a call to action -- End SMA Now! Their goal is to raise $50,000 through sponsorships of each mile - $10 per mile. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation to benefit SMA research, awareness, and support.

They need our help to get the word out! So, please if you're a blogger, post their Sponsor-a-Mile button on your blog. Here is the code for you to grab.

<a href="http://SponsorAMile.com/"><img src="http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu269/gwendolynstrong/125x125Rectangle.png" border="0" alt="Sponsor-a-Mile"></a>

Also, if you can afford to make a donation, that would be great! And, as always, don't forget to sign the petition if you haven't already done so. Anything you can do to get the word out is truly appreciated: blog, tweet, email! Anything. Every signature, every blog, every button represents hope to Gwendolyn's parents and every parent of a child with SMA.

About Spinal Muscular Atrophy:

• SMA is #1 genetic killer of children under two.
• SMA is estimated to occur in nearly 1 out of every 6,000 births.
• The gene that causes SMA is unknowingly carried by 1 in every 40 people or nearly 7.5 million Americans.
• The life expectancy for infants with SMA Type 1 is two years.
• SMA is a degenerative disease that destroys the nerves controlling voluntary muscle movement, including breathing and even swallowing -- SMA does not impact the mind at all -- making them trapped in their own failing body.