Yahoo Lifestyle 
Ryan Reynolds, NHL Players Donate To Help Edmonton Toddler Get $2.8 Million Cure
Edmonton toddler Kaysen Martin’s birthday is on July 17 — normally a milestone to celebrate that’s now a terrifying deadline for his parents. Before Kaysen turns two, his family is in a race against time to raise millions for a life-saving treatment. So far, they’ve raced almost $300,000 thanks to an online fundraiser and thanks to a boost from Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, they’re getting closer to their goal.
Kaysen has spinal muscular atrophy Type 1 (SMA1), a rare neuromuscular disorder that reduces his ability to walk, crawl, and eat food over time. Most children who have SMA1 don’t live past the age of two. The “Deadpool” actor donated $5,000 to a crowdfunding campaign helping Kaysen and his parents afford a single treatment of Zolgensma, a $2.8-million gene therapy drug.
Reynolds didn’t post about his charitable contribution on social media, but he extended his wishes to the family through a mutual acquaintance.
“The fact that he felt compelled enough to donate is huge. I’d just like to thank him very much from the bottom of my heart,” Lana Bernardin, Kaysen’s mother, told HuffPost Canada.
Other Canadian notables have pitched in to help change Kaysen’s life, including media personality Jillian Harris. She sympathized with Bernadin’s “panic” as a parent.
“Knowing that your little [baby’s] birthday is sneaking up in two weeks and you still have to raise $2-million to save his life?” she wrote in an Instagram story.
NHL hockey players are lending their support too: Former Winnipeg Jets’ player Dustin Byfuglien and his wife donated to the fundraiser, as did Matt Benning from the Edmonton Oilers.
Canadians urged to help
At $2.8-million, Zolgensma is widely reported as the world’s most expensive drug. While Kaysen’s family has raised over $300,000 so far, their fundraiser will need to generate a little over nine times that amount by his birthday, in order for the toddler to qualify for the treatment.
The public...
