Connor Ridley, an 11-year-old from Maine, is proof that people can make the world a better place, no matter their age.
Connor Ridley spent this summer fundraising so the first-ever clinical trial for Sanfilippo Syndrome Type C could happen and hopefully help a fellow Connor, whom he has never met.
Connor Ridley’s mom is friends with Mike Dobbyn whose son, also Connor, was diagnosed with Sanfilippo Type C in June 2019. Ever since receiving the diagnosis, Mike and Connor’s mom Marisa have been relentlessly fundraising to fund Connor’s only chance to live – a first-ever gene therapy clinical trial specifically for Sanfilippo Type C.
Hearing about the family’s fight from his mom, Connor Ridley decided to do something to help. Connor Ridley came up with a plan to win a new bicycle in his school’s “Bikes for Books” program and then use the new bicycle as a fundraiser for the Type C clinical trial.
“It absolutely remarkable and warms your heart to see someone so young having such empathy for another family and then going to such extraordinary lengths to help,” said Foundation President Glenn O’Neill, whose daughter Eliza also has Sanfilippo. “People like Connor Ridley are the true heroes of our world; the people who inspire others and shape the world in a positive way. We are so grateful for the compassion and dedication of Connor and other people who go above and beyond to help families of children with Sanfilippo Syndrome.”
Connor Ridley won the school contest for the brand-new Huffy Beach Cruiser and was able to raise an impressive $3,000 for the Type C clinical trial.
The local NBC news affiliate and newspaper, The Times Recorder, even featured Connor’s selfless efforts.
