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| Racing Against S.M.A. And for Hope at Orlando SpeedWorld | by Dave Westerman
A.J. Factor is a rookie Super Late Model racer this year at Orlando Speedworld. Although he has high ambitions of one day beating the likes of B.J. McLeod, Ricky Wood, Ronnie Roach and Jared Allison, right now there's only one thing he's trying to beat... Spinal Muscular Atrophy or SMA.
Factor and his wife Shaylene have a beautiful three year old daughter named Sierra Journey and she is afflicted with this deadly disease that is the number one genetic killer of children.
Factor, who has been racing since he was seven years old, is now using his Super Late Model to bring awareness to SMA, a sickness that most people haven't even heard of unless they know someone who has it.
"Since no celebrity has this disease, it's never been one that gets much publicity yet one in every six-thousand babies is born with it," says Factor.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy can occur in anyone, at any age, at any time, although it appears much more often in newborns and children under the age of two. Of those children diagnosed, 50% will die by the time they reach their second birthday. One in every forty people actually carry the gene that causes SMA and the child of two people who both carry the gene has a one in four chance of developing SMA.
Children with SMA tend to be more weak and lack motor development, rendering movement difficult. Children afflicted with Type 1 SMA, also known as Werdnig-Huffman Disease, cannot sit unaided and have trouble breathing and swallowing. Type 2 SMA is less severe and children may be able to sit or even stand unaided and usually do not suffer from feeding and swallowing difficulties. However they are at increased risk for complications from respiratory infections. Type 3 SMA is the least deadly for of childhood SMA, but weakness remains prevalent and tends to eventually sentence its victims to a wheelchair. Type 4 is the adult form of the disease in which symptoms tend to begin after age 35.
SMA Motorsports was founded to help raise both awareness of SMA and help raise money to find a cure. Factor's Super Late Model car was donated to the team by State Senator Bill Posey of Rockledge. Re-skinned during the off season, the fire engine red #62 is an eye-catcher both on and off the race track.
The car is owned by Bill Powell and Jason Pittman donates his time as crew chief. All of the money earned at the race track is donated to SMA research. Fans and local businesses can become sponsors of the car very easily. $20 can get your (or your child's) name on the car as a Fan Sponsor while $50 will put your name and the name of your business on the car. Anyone donate $100 or more also gets a shirt featuring the SMA race team.
Factor's "rookie" debut didn't quite go as planned last Friday night as the car just wasn't up to par. "I'd like to have done better," says Factor. "I backed it into the wall during one of the early practice nights this year and we've been a bit behind ever since, but everyone is behind us 100 percent and it wouldn't bother me if I finished last in every race if we could find a cure for Sierra and all the other kids like her," he says.
Race fans can take part in a special benefit to raise money to find the cure for SMA on Sunday, May 23rd at the Azan Shriners Clubhouse at 545 North Washington Ave. in Titusville. You can get a BBQ plate dinner for just $5.00 plus hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks will be available too. Hours are 11AM to 5PM and a big raffle will be held as well with all kinds of great prizes being given away. For more information and advance tickets call (321) 264-4238.
Be sure to look for A.J. Factor's #62 Super Late Model at Orlando Speedworld and hopefully at other tracks this season and support them when they're there.
They hope to have the car on display during the Speedworld Crash-A-Rama event in two weeks and take advantage of the big crowd to bring more awareness about this deadly disease. For more information, please log on to www.sierrasjourney.com.
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