HOUSTON, April 30 (UPI) -- An online bucket list a Houston couple created for an infant daughter with a fatal illness has drawn more than 2.1 million page views, the blog's counter says.
Laura and Mike Canahuati created Avery's Bucket List for their 6-month-old daughter, Avery, in hopes of raising awareness about her condition, spinal muscular atrophy, the No. 1 genetic killer of infants under 2, The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press reported.
Mike Canahuati, writing in Avery's voice, says on the blog: "The reality is that this disease will take my life at some point and there is currently nothing that can be done to stop it. So at this point, my family & friends can either sit back and watch me die and let my life be about doctor's visits and tear-filled days or everyone can embrace what my future holds and we can make each day I'm here a memorable one ... starting now."
Avery, the blog says, has gotten some of what she included on the bucket list -- giving her mother and father a kiss, blowing bubbles and throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game (a Houston-area minor league baseball team's game).
The list includes meeting Santa Claus, singing karaoke and appearing on the "Ellen DeGeneres Show."
The Canahuatis were told when their daughter was diagnosed with SMA Type 1 her life expectancy was 18 months, Fox News Channel reported. The disease weakens the muscles, and Avery has already lost the ability to move her legs.
The couple found out one in 6,000 babies is born with a form of SMA and one in 40 people are carriers, the blog says. The couple hopes to raise funds for research into a cure.
