Exhibit Masters and the local union 1175 in Fort Lauderdale teamed up with others in the tradeshow industry to support the seventh annual Madison’s Wish Golf Tournament.
Held at the Woodlands Country Club May 17, this year’s tournament raised more than $38,000 for children suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
The tournament developed from numerous fundraisers began by the parents of a young SMA sufferer.
In 2007, two days shy of her first birthday, Madison Cay was diagnosed with a relatively unknown genetic neuromuscular disease – SMA. SMA is a group of inherited diseases that destroys the nerve cells, called motorneurons, that control voluntary movements such as crawling, walking, head and neck control and swallowing.
By the age of 2, Madison used a power wheelchair for mobility, had a BiPap machine for breathing support during her sleep, suction, pulse oximeter, cough assist, nebulizer and the vest for lung therapy and respiratory support, feet braces, knee braces, wrist splint, body brace to support her spine, ramps, therapy equipment and more.
Due to the deterioration of Madison’s muscles, she was never able to crawl or walk. Madison’s ongoing medical expenses are very high because of items that insurance does not cover such as therapies and supplements that improve her quality of life.
After Madison’s diagnosis, her parents did not want to watch her wither away or wait around for a cure. In addition to raising funds to help Madison’s fight, they founded the Southern Florida Chapter of Families of SMA, which funds SMA research and administers programs that support affected families.
In four years, they raised more than $175,000 for research, hosted meetings for affected families and spent countless hours lending emotional support to parents of newly diagnosed babies.
The golf tournament was hosted by Madison’s nephew, Richard Curran, general manager, Expo Convention Contractors. Madison is now 7 years old.
Go to www.fsma.org to donate towards finding a cure or treatment, and raise awareness of SMA.
