Thousands of people participate in event in Westmoreland County to fight spinal muscular atrophy

Thousands of people “walked and rolled” for a good cause in Westmoreland County on Saturday.

The “Walk-N-Roll” event at Twin Lakes Park in Latrobe raised money to help find a cure for spinal muscular atrophy.

That is a degenerative disease that can take away a person’s ability to walk, eat or do other daily activities.

Organizers say this is the first time the “Walk-N-Roll” event has been held in the area in years.

People who are currently dealing with SMA were touched by the event, including Dave Morus, who has a child struggling with the disease.

“I think it’s fantastic,” said Morus. “This is the first time we have had on this side of the state in something like eight years, so for those of us with younger children, we might as well have never had one. We’re glad to get this back here and we are glad it has been such a success.”

Morus and other organizers estimated that more than 6,000 people participated in the fundraiser.

Cure SMA, an organization that provides approved treatments for the disease, screenings for newborns, and clinical trials was also at the event.

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