Planet Gift Baskets Partners Lemon-Aide For Life For A Cure For Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Online, September 27, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Planet Gift Baskets supports finding a cure for Spinal Muscular Atrophy by participating in the annual Lemon-Aide For Life fundraiser. Each year families from Highland, San Bernardino and surrounding Inland Empire cities gather to raise money to find a cure for the disease known as SMA that can affect children.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a neuromuscular disease characterized by degeneration of muscles.

A small group of parents started Families of SMA in 1984. They wanted to raise funds for SMA research to cure the disease, and support all affected families. Back then, very little was known about Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Very little research was being conducted. No one knew the cause of the disease let alone how to find a treatment and a cure. Patients and families affected by SMA were on their own and had little hope. Today, FSMA has a different story to tell. Families of SMA has created hope for our community that did not exist in 1984. Families of SMA raised and funded over $50 million for SMA research. Their support comes from generous individual donations and numerous fund raising events held by volunteer families and our Chapters.

Kim Donnelly, mother of Joseph Jean who died of SMA at eight months old, hosts the SMA lemon- aide stand every year close to the anniversary of his death. The fire department, and hundreds of local families come by and purchase lemonade and donate their time and money to help support the families who have been effected by SMA.

Not only are donations offered to find a cure for the disease, family support is also a large portion of the FSMA (families of SMA) main goals. They help families understand the disease as well as offer much needed support for caring with an infant with the diagnosis. Because SMA can be fatal, support is given through their website found at www.FSMA.com to help families cope with infant loss and grief as well as caring for a baby with the disease.

Planet Gift Baskets specializes in sympathy gifts, including infant and child loss memorial gifts. "We frequently get requests for meaningful infant sympathy loss gifts. Because SMA effects children, we felt this cause was a perfect fit for us," states Pam Brown, owner of Planet Gifts Baskets. All fund raising for families of SMA is done by families, neighbors and friends effected by the disease through bake sales, lemonade stands and other community events. If you are interested in donating to help further research and support families effected by SMA, visit http://www.fsma.com or http://www.planetgiftbaskets.com for further information.