This event is hosted each year in honor of Hayes Wingard.  Hayes was diagnosed with SMA Type II in May 2015 when he was 20 months old.  He was developing normally and reaching all the typical milestones for babies until he was about one.  At that time, he started regressing and could not stand or crawl normally.   After many months of testing, a genetic blood test revealed he was positive for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.  At that time there were no treatments available and no cure for SMA.  In December 2016 the first treatment was approved.  Hayes started receiving Spinraza AKA Superman Medicine in March 2018 and has shown significant progress. 

Fast forward to 2022, Hayes is strong and smart and is doing well!  He is 9 years old and is a 4th grader at Sandhills Elementary School. He still has many limitations but they are not keeping him from living his best life!  Hayes loves to go fast (too fast) in his power chair, he is a LEGO master and loves to play XBox.  He is kind and has a heart of gold.  Hayes is strong and smart and just a little bit sassy!

We have so much hope that Hayes and others who are living with SMA have a bright future ahead of them.  We are grateful to CureSMA for their research funds that have made it possible to now have three treatments available and many more treatments are in the pipeline.  We are grateful for the support of family and friends who support our SMA community by donating their time and money to CureSMA. Together, we can and will make a difference and we look forward to the day that there is a cure for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.