On Saturday, May 16th, a group of children in Virginia held a lemonade stand to raise money for the fight against spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The group rallied around their friend and neighbor Tatum who was diagnosed with SMA type 3 just over a year ago.

By selling lemonade, baked goods, and snacks, these young people were able to collect $250 for FightSMA to support SMA research and were also able to inform their neighbors about this crippling disease.

Just over a year ago, Lucas Cade Clark, pictured above, was born. When he was just four months old, he was diagnosed with Type 1 Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), the most severe form of the disease. The Believe In Lucas Clark Foundation was created by his family and friends to help raise funds and awareness to find the cure for SMA.

The Foundation is about to hold its first fundraiser at the end of the month. The first of what is planned to be an annual golf tournament will be held at the South Riding Golf Club in South Riding, Virginia on May 29th. Registration and sponsorship information is available on the Foundation’s website. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to FightSMA.

Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA) meets Greg Tapley from FightSMA’s Georgia chapter, following the recent FightSMA Conference in Washington D.C. Greg thanked Congressman Cantor for his sponsorship of the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act, which he and Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) re-introduced in the House of Representatives on April 28, 2009.