Friday, 30 July 2010 12:16 PM
This Sunday marks an important day for South Melbourne FC, as it will participate in the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness month.
By participating in this event, every South player will wear a purple arm band on Sunday against Richmond in support of the battles that those with this disease face.
SMA is a rare, inherited disease that results in the loss of nerves in the spinal cord and weakness of the muscles connected with those nerves. The muscles most frequently affected are those of the neck and trunk that control posture, those of the leg and arm that control movement, and those of the area of the ribs that help breathing.
People with SMA generally appear normal at birth; the symptoms develop as early as three months in the most severely affected, around one to two years of age in the moderately affected, and more rarely in the late childhood or adult years in mildly affected individuals.
We encourage everyone to come to the game on Sunday to support this wonderful cause, with every $1 of each match ticket sold being donated.
For more information please visit the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Association of Australia website at www.smaaustralia.org.au.