A 1-year-old Brazilian boy will receive life-saving medicine for a rare disease – thanks to funding acquired by the Brazilian government and raised with the help of Bellator fighters Patricio Freire and Patricky Friere . Arthur Ferreira Belo, 1, suffers from Type 1 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA1). According to a website created in Belo’s name, SMA1 is “a rare genetic disease, characterized by weakness and muscular atrophy, followed by fasciculations severely compromising mobility during an early stage.” The cost of medication and devices was upward of 12 million Reais (equivalent to approximately $2.18 million USD), according to Patricio and manager Matheus Aquino. To make matters more complicated, Belo needs to take the necessary medicine before turning the age of 2 in order to be considered safe and effective. With an additional window of time needed, a Sept. 20 date was determined as the deadline to get the ball rolling.
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