PLYMOUTH, Mass. — It’s a heartwarming video that has gone viral, already racking up nearly 7 million views. It shows 7-year-old Tomas MacCurtain giving his big sister, Abigail, an assist.
"I was just trying to help her to be able to play basketball with us," Tomas said.
The adorable moment was captured in a 15 second YouTube video outside their home in Plymouth.
Abby MacCurtain suffers from Leigh’s Disease, an infantile form of Mitochondrial Disease. Abby was diagnosed at 9 months old and wasn't expected to live past two. She's now nine years old.
"It’s a neuromuscular disease. Her body cannot produce enough energy. Her body cannot turn food into ATP, which gives us life-sustaining energy," said Abby’s father, Greg MacCurtain.
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Although Abby requires a wheelchair to get around and is non-verbal, she certainly has a zest for life. Her father, a firefighter at Logan Airport, will be running in his 3rd Boston Marathon in honor of his daughter.
"I say Abby, want to go for a run? And she shakes her head yes and we get the tunes going and she’s relaxing pretty much in the sun, and sometimes she’ll tell me to keep on going," he said.
Greg and Abby have run numerous marathons and triathlons together. They are now raising money through Team Abby Mac. The proceeds will go to a team of researchers at Mass. General Hospital, where Abby has been treated since she was 3-years-old, to help find a cure for Leigh’s Disease.
If the Boston Marathon ends-up being canceled in September, Greg and Abby will run the 26.2 miles around their hometown of Plymouth.
You can donate to Team Abby Mac here.
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