Members of the Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) chapter in Farmingdale sponsored a softball game last weekend in hopes of raising money and awareness for a rare known disease called SMA. Rosemary Yenzer, a mother whose four-year-old daughter Victoria is a victim of the disease, covered the bulk of the responsibility organizing the event.

The SMA chapter of Farmingdale consists of about 10 to 15 families, all of whom contributed time to organizing the softball game. The families all sold raffle tickets for prizes and gifts, and had an auction table set up, with items which were provided by those who couldn't contribute monetarily. Yenzer also went around to local corporations and sent out letters to nearby business institutions looking for inning sponsors to make donations.

The Families of SMA, a non-profit organization of parents of children diagnosed with the disease, hoped to raise $25,000 at the event, approximately $10,000 more than they had raised last year. Aside from raising money for research of the disease, hoping to result in discovering more treatments and possibly a cure, the Families of SMA are also trying to promote better awareness of the disease.

"You hear of Muscular Distrophy, you hear of Cerebral Palsy, you hear of Cystic Fibrosis, but you don't know that SMA is the number one killer of children under the age of two," said Yenzer.

There were two games played at the event; the first being the Farmingdale Fire Department against News Channel 12 and in the second game the fire department took on KeySpan Energy. With earnings and donations still coming in, SMA families are pleased to find that they have already raised over $20,000 from the softball game and on-site auctions and raffles alone.

SMA, found primarily in children and not adults, is a disease that children inherit from their parents. One in 40 people carry the SMA gene, and in order for a child to contract the disease both parents must be carriers. SMA directly effects the voluntary muscles located in the spinal cord. It is one of the 40 conditions associated with Muscular Distrophy. It mainly hinders one from walking, head and neck control and even swallowing. Weakness in the legs is more common than great weakness in the arms, and many inheritors of the disease remain wheelchair bound.

"This disease doesn't effect the mind, it effects the body," said Yenzer, "and where God takes away, he gives. So these children are very bright."

According to Yenzer, most of the people who are doing the fundraising are families who have children that have contracted the disease. Since much of the parents' time is consumed with taking care of their children, it leaves them with few opportunities to get into the community and actually raise awareness, especially if the parents work during the course of the day.

About a week prior to the game, Yenzer walked around the village of Farmingdale hanging flyers about the event, hoping they would be noticed by local residents. She displayed posters advertising the game on store-front windows of various business in the area.

"Just touching one person out there, knowing that just one individual was effected and made better aware of the disease makes it worth everything; worth all the work that we do," said Yenzer.

There will also be a golf outing sponsored by the MGA on Monday, Oct. 9. The proceeds from the outing will go specifically to SMA research. The outing will take place at the Long Island National Golf Club, located at 1793 Northville Tpke. in Riverhead. They are currently looking for corporate sponsors, golfers, and donors for the event. Anybody wishing to receive more information on the golf outing may call (631) 265-9333.

Local community residents who would like to help support the Families of SMA may do so by either coming down and participating in upcoming fundraisers such as the golf outing in October, or by sending donations to the organization's New York chapter at: P.O. Box 1182, West Babylon, New York, 11704. The Families of SMA may also be contacted at their national headquarters at P.O. Box 196 Libertyville, IL 60048-0196.