Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner, who grew up in Vaughan, is urging his followers on Twitter to help raise up to $2.8 million to help a baby girl recently diagnosed with a rare genetic disease.

Six-month-old Rebecca Grace Silva was diagnosed Nov. 19 with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA Type 1).

“Years ago, a brave firefighter at the Vaughan Fire Dept helped our family when we were in need,” Marner told his 171,700 Twitter followers.

In 2016, while he was a junior star with the London Knights, Marner’s family home went up in flames in Thornhill, causing an estimated $400,000 in damage

“Now, his daughter needs our support,” Marner tweeted on Wednesday. “The Marner Assist Fund has made a donation to help with Rebecca Grace’s treatment — you can help too by donating.”

As of Friday morning, more than $263,000 was raised of the $2.8 million goal for the fundraising effort that began Nov. 25.

Born May 30, Rebecca isn’t able to sit on her own or keep herself supported because of her ailment. Her movement in her arms and legs are minimal, the GoFundMe page explained. As time passes, she will continue to lose these functions.

Rebecca is receiving Spinraza, a spinal motor neuron (SMN) enhancing therapy. But what she needs is Zolgensma, which is currently not available in Canada but has been FDA approved and available in the United States, costing $2.125 million (U.S.).

“This treatment was labelled the most expensive treatment in the world,” the GoFundMe page says.

Zolgensma, a one-time infusion therapy given intravenously which only takes about 60 minutes, is a prescription gene therapy used to treat SMA in children less than two years old.

Without treatment, Rebecca’s motor neuron cells will “continue to become weaker and weaker and eventually die.”

A healthy body contains two copies of the spinal motor neuron (SMN) 1 gene and about two copies of the SMN 2 gene in each cell, while some people have up to eight copies.

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Rebecca has no copies of the SMN 1 gene and two copies of the SMN 2 gene.

Her family is “hopeful” that Spinraza could slow the progression of the disease until she can get the funding for Zolgensma.

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