Arsenal Football Player Ozil Takes up Case of Turkish Infant With Rare Disease

Published September 22nd, 2020 - 07:52 GMT
(Shutterstock/ File Photo)
(Shutterstock/ File Photo)
Highlights
11-month-old Turkish boy Metehan Fidan battling spinal muscular atrophy.

Arsenal's German midfielder Mesut Ozil on Monday requested help for an infant battling a rare neuromuscular disease. 

"I'd like to use my reach here on Twitter to help Metehan. Metehan is diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy - a genetic disorder. With your donation and your RT [retweet], we can save him together," Ozil said in a post on the social media site.

Ozil, 31, is a German citizen of Turkish descent. He helped Germany win the 2014 FIFA World Cup.


UK-based 11-month-old Turkish boy Metehan Fidan has been suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and needs a gene therapy called Zolgensma to recover.

The therapy is expensive, costing $2.1 million, said the website created for Metehan's treatment.

It added that Metehan's family is awaiting help for their child, as they "have a fight against the clock."

Donations for Metehan can be made at "www.metehansmajourney.co.uk".

This article has been adapted from its original source.

Subscribe

Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content