The University of Kentucky softball team will host the second annual Frostbite Classic next weekend, Mar. 3-4, at the UK Softball Complex. Also for the second straight year, the softball program will be selling commemorative tournament t-shirts with all proceeds going to benefit the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation.

The Cats were able to raise over $750 last season and the goal this year is to donate more than $1,000 to the SMA Support Inc. to support families like former UK head coach Beth Pruitt?s who are dealing with SMA. Pruitt?s daughter, Danielle, was diagnosed with SMA, a genetic disease that affects muscular development.

At this time, there is no cure for any type of SMA which is a muscular disease passed genetically to children by their parents. With SMA, muscles weaken and waste away due to degeneration of nerve cells in the spinal cord. Normally, these motor neurons relay signals they receive from the brain to the muscle cells. When these neurons fail to function, the muscles deteriorate. The brain and the sensory nerves (that allow us to feel sensations such as touch, temperature, pain etc.) are not affected. SMA affects a child’s muscular development and the severity depends on what type of SMA the child has. Type 1 is the most severe, affecting children still in the womb or shortly after birth, while type 4 is the least severe and usually affects adults. The major differences between types are the age of onset and the severity of the condition.

SMA is a devastating disease, but the lives of these children and their families can be made much easier with the many medical advances that are being made each and every day.

The short-sleeved gray t-shirts are available now in sizes S-XXL for $12 at the field or can be purchased by contacting assistant coach Melissa Inouye by email at mtinou2@uky.edu or by calling 859-257-6314. Please make checks payable to UKAA. Supplies are limited so purchase your shirt today!