Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. The 2009 Chicago Marathon will be my 8th marathon. It will be the second marathon that I am "Running for Cru" by fundraising for Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or FSMA. Please visit their site by clicking on any of the links at the top of this page.

The reason I chose to run for SMA is this: In June of 2008, my co-worker and friend Ken's baby boy Cruciano was diagnosed with SMA Type 1. Cru lost his battle with SMA in September of 2008, but his memory lives on with all of us. Please help me support FSMA as I run in honor of Cru to help find a cure through research. My goal this year is to raise $10,000 for FSMA.

SMA can be a deadly and relatively common genetic disease and is the leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers. It is the absence/defect in the Survival Motor Neuron Gene (SMN1) that causes Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The SMN1 gene codes for survival of motor neuron (SMN) protein, and this protein is critical to the survival and health of motor neurons, nerve cells in our spinal cord that our brain uses to control our muscles. Without sufficient SMN protein, motor neurons shrink and die. As the motor neuron network breaks down, the ability of the brain to control muscles diminishes and with less control and use, muscles weaken and waste away.

Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts. If you feel more comfortable writing a check, please email me at paulkapellas@hotmail.com and I can send you more information on how to support Running for Cru and FSMA.

Thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too. Every little bit helps. Your dollar could be the difference.

Please visit my marathon training blog at http://runningforcru.blogspot.com/