Washington: Hollywood celebrities Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry, Mark Wahlberg and others helped raise USD 1 million to help a child get treatment for the fatal disease Sanfilippo syndrome (Childhood syndrome).
According to the Hollywood reporter, a family of four had launched a GoFundMe page which featured a testimonial about their six-year-old son’s illness.
The family of four includes- Samir Sarkar (father), Jen Sarkar (mother), Sophia (daughter) and Carter (son).
The page included an emotional video which portrayed how the family has only one chance to save their son.
Jen’s mail on July 5 brought in the good news of the family’s initiative bearing fruit. The mail read that the in 45 days the target of $ 1 million was achieved.
The response was overwhelming as Hollywood celebrities had helped raise a whopping $1,001,330 million for the treatment by July 6.
“We are true believers that it takes a village to raise a child. We consider everyone a part of Carter’s village now,” The Hollywood reporter quoted Jen as saying.
“They are giving him a chance at life,” she added.
The donations are still pouring in, thanks to the prior contributions by Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry, Mark Wahlberg, Matthew McConaughey’s Just Keep Livin Foundation, Jennifer Garner, 20th Century Fox, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, Mary Parent, Shannon and Michael Rotenberg, the Wasserman Foundation, James McAvoy, Selena Gomez, Judd Apatow, and rock band Green Day to name a few.
Katy Perry took to Twitter and urged citizens to donate for the child.
She wrote, ” My ? was touched by Carter’s story. If you’re able pls help w/ his chance to defeat Childhood Alzheimer’s. He’s SO close to funding his clinical trial & I would love to see my KatyCats kick it over the goal & make that difference! I’m donating now too! ?? https://www.gofundme.com/savingcarter”
The disease is named after Sylvester Sanfilippo, the pediatrician who first described the disease which many called it as “children’s Alzheimer’s.”
It’s a neurodegenerative disease which affects one in every 70,000 children.
(ANI)