National Rare Disease Day is Wednesday, February 28, and several local businesses have stepped up to fundraise for a rare liver disease that affects a Verona toddler.
In 2015, when he was just five months old, Micco LaRosa was diagnosed with Alagille syndrome, a liver disease that affects maybe one in 100,000 children in the world. It is so rare that there are many unknowns about its path and prognosis.
As often happens in these rare disease cases, a team of family and friends has rallied around the person affected to raise money to fund research into the disease. For Team Mighty Micco that is the Alagille Syndrome Alliance. The team has now gotten four local businesses–two in Verona and two in nearby towns–to donate a portion of the money they earn from shoppers and patrons to the Alliance to support a researcher who is looking for a cure.
The participating businesses: Shag86 Salon, 86 Main St., Little Falls, and Pink Jewels, 1110 Town Center Way, Livingston, who will both be holding their fundraisers on Rare Disease Day itself, Wednesday, February 28. The participating Verona businesses, Bello By Daniel Ross, a barbershop at 628 Bloomfield Avenue, and Green Point Juicery at 532 Bloomfield Avenue, will hold their fundraisers on Saturday, March 3.
You can also join Team Mighty Micco to learn more about Micco and Alagille Syndrome, or make a direct donation for National Rare Disease day. Their fundraising website is here.
