Riders' Darian Durant lends a hand at fundraiser for sick babies

Injured Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant was on hand at a charity event in Saskatoon to help a pair of twin baby girls struggling with a rare disease.
 
Durant appeared at a fundraiser at the Rock Creek pub in Stonebridge.
 
The event was held for Addison and Emma Surine, a pair of  six-month-old twins who suffer from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
 
SMA is a genetic disorder that causes progressive loss of muscle function. Sufferers eventually lose the ability to move, and ultimately, to breathe.

The typical life expectancy for a child with SMA is one to two years.
 
The girls’ parents, Melissa and Danny, have been trying to get to Vancouver to put the girls into an experimental drug trial, in the hope that  it might save their life.
 
Speaking at the Rock Creek event, Durant said he was happy to help.
 
“It just puts in perspective life man, and how precious it really is and how you should just cherish it to the fullest,” he said.
 
Durant said the cause has given him a much-needed outlet as he continues treatment for a torn Achilles tendon suffered in the Riders’ first game of the season.
 
“Being hurt, you have a lot of time on your hands and all you can do is think. You know, I couldn’t contribute on the field, so I was just thinking, ‘How can I contribute in the community?” he said.

Donations for the girls can be made at a gofundme page setup for the family.

-with files from CKOM’s Lasia Kretzel