Parents Of 4-Year-Old With Sanfilippo Syndrome Get Serious Financial Help From Strangers

Eliza O’Neill was diagnosed with Sanfilippo Syndrome last year. Her parents, Glenn and Cara O’Neill, were heartbroken to learn that their little girl was suffering from the deadly disorder. According to E! Online, Sanfilippo Syndrome is defined as “a fatal debilitating disorder that prevents the body from properly breaking down sugar and causes nerve damage, brain damage, blindness and eventually death.”

Since the terrifying diagnosis, the O’Neills learned about a new form of gene therapy that could potentially save the life of their 4-year-old. The news is uplifting, but the cost of the treatments is downright devastating. The clinical-trial costs total about $2.5 million!

Not knowing where to turn and realizing that not many people know too much about Sanfilippo Syndrome, the O’Neills decided to get the word out the best they could… and to try and raise some money too.

According to E! Online:

“Glenn and Cara have hosted several events, including dance-a-thons, golf tournaments, and more, to help fundraise the treatment, but most of their money has come from viral videos that they’ve created with the help of various filmmakers, which were linked to a Go Fund Me campaign.”

So far, the Go Fund Me campaign has raised nearly $1 million. Most of the money is from complete strangers — from people who learned about Eliza’s story and wanted to help any way they could. The campaign is coming to an end, but Glenn and Cara are so thankful that so many people reached out to them to try and save their daughter’s life. The family is now making a “final push,” asking people who have already donated to spread the word and get three more friends to donate just $22 this month so that they may reach their goal.

On June 6, Glenn posted the following message on the campaign board:

“Today officially begins the ‘Triple the Love Campaign’ for Saving Eliza. If everyone who has supported or donated so far asks just THREE new friends to donate $22 each in the month of June, we will reach our goal! Help us triple the love for Eliza this month by sharing Eliza’s story with three friends. “

The O’Neill’s have used this hardship to raise awareness about Sanfilippo Syndrome and to give their daughter’s life a new hope. Thousands of people have donated to the cause and you can too. Watch the video above to learn about Eliza and her debilitating disease. If you’d like to learn more, you can visit Eliza’s Facebook page or donate through their Go Fund Me campaign.

[Photo courtesy of Stacey Quattlebaum Via Facebook]