Girls raise money to go toward wheelchair lift purchase for neighbor with SMA

 According to his mother, Cameron Harding is a smart, silly 21 month old who was born with a terminal disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). SMA is a disease that affects 1 in 10,000 babies and occurs when both parents are carriers of the gene.
 
“We had no idea we were carriers,” states Alison Harding. “When both parents are carriers, there is a one in four chance that their child will have SMA.” Beating the odds thus far, Cameron has been participating in an experimental drug trial and has had amazing results. Because the disease affects the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord, children with SMA are unable to walk. Harding quickly realized they would have to make some modifications to their house to make it wheelchair friendly. With a house raised off the ground, a wheelchair lift has become a necessity.
 
“Now that Cameron is 21 months old, he is at the age of wanting to move around, go outside and explore. Going up and down the stairs with him is very difficult and risky, and with a motorized wheelchair, it makes it impossible for him to move freely in and out of the home. Having a lift would mean more freedom for our little guy and give him the same opportunities as other kids his age,” Harding says.
 
Just a few weeks ago, the Hardings received an unexpected gift from some neighborhood girls.
 
“We knew kids in the neighborhood were face painting to raise money for a worthy cause. When two little girls showed up unannounced on our door steps that same evening saying the worthy cause was for Cameron’s wheelchair lift, we immediately cried,” recalls Harding. “It was the most sweetest and touching moment of our lives.”
 
And if that wasn’t enough, the girls showed up the next day with more money they saved from their summer lemonade stands.
 
Tracy Musselwhite, Eloise Bova and Riley Jenkins were just a few of the girls who helped raise money. Asked what the best part of their efforts was, Tracy replied, “When we took the money over to their house”, Eloise replied “The warm happy feeling it gave me inside” and Riley replied, “Being able to help.”
 
“We feel so lucky to be living in a community where children are being raised to be kind and think of others!” says Harding.