From 1st - 9th August I have pledged to ride a bike all the way from Sydney to Brisbane to help raise funds in support of the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Association of Australia (SMAA). We hope that with your help, this 'Bike for Life' ride will raise valuable funds for the SMA disease and its effects on the individual and his/her family.

People with SMA generally appear normal at birth; the symptoms develop as early as three months in the most severely affected, around one to two years of ages in the moderately affected, and more rarely in the late childhood or adult years in mildly affected individuals.

There is no known treatment for SMA; historically, nearly half of babies born with the most severe form of the disease have died before aged two.

All people with SMA have a higher than normal risk for progressive disability. The most severely affected are at risk for breathing complications and premature death.

SMA is the number one genetic killer of children under 2 years of age!

Very few people have ever heard of it, and 1 in 40 people carry the gene.

Fortunately, there is much SMAA can do in providing the required care along with the many possible treatments becoming available that my help alleviate some of the symptoms to improve the quality of life but not to necessarily extend it!

For a more detailed explanation of SMA and the valuable services and support offered by SMAA, please visit the SMA website - http://www.smaaustralia.com/