Do you remember the little girl Gwendolyn Strong who visited Palestine with her parents to raise awareness for SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy)?

My first story about this amazing family can be read here.

Upon arrival in Palestine, they visited the Texas State Railroad for a special media event.

Making the family's journey extra special, while visiting Gwendolyn's great-grandfather 104-year-old Harry Gillespie (a Palestine native) in Mississippi, Palestine Mayor Bob Herrington made a surprise visit to recognize Gillespie for his connections to Palestine.

It's nice to know the family is back home. We are happy to hear that their journey of love raised more than $40,000 for the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation to find a cure for SMA.

Image from www.gwendolynstrong.com

If you've been following the Strong family's 5,000 mile journey for a cure from Santa Barbara, California cross country (including a stop in Palestine on Tuesday), you'll be happy to know that they made it to Mississippi where Gwendolyn's great-grandfather (former Palestine resident) Harry Gillespie lives.



The Strongs wrote a very nice blog post about acts of kindness in Palestine which is worth reading. Thank you Victoria and Bill for your kind words! I'm glad East Texas treated your family so nicely! Writing stories like this really make my job worthwhile.

Click here to listen to KYYK 98.3's Gary Richards interviewing Bill Strong about their journey and visit to Palestine.

While stopping in Palestine during their 5,000 mile journey across several states spreading awareness for SMA (Skeletal Muscular Dystrophy), Santa Barbara, California residents Bill and Victoria Strong took a few photos.

The Strong family has done this on their blog in "Where is Gwendolyn Now?" segments several times. Usually their 20-month-old daughter Gwendolyn (who suffers from SMA) is in the segments, but she was sleeping, so Big Bird and Elmo helped her out!

As of Wednesday, the Strong family was in Mississippi, which means they will be meeting with Victoria's 104-year-old grandfather Harry Gillespie (former Palestine resident) pretty soon! He is going to meet his great-granddaughter Gwendolyn for the first time ever!

Here's a photo of former Palestine resident Harry Gillespie:

Want to Sponsor-a-Mile to End SMA? Click here to learn how.

CBS 19 also was at the Texas State Railroad Palestine Depot on Tuesday for the Strong family's media event to raise awareness of the No. 1 genetic killer of children, SMA (Skeletal Muscular Atrophy). Their 20-month-old daughter Gwendolyn suffers from SMA. The family is currently on a 5,000 mile tour which started in their hometown of Santa Barbara, California to raise awareness for SMA.

Here's her story (click the blog title above to see the video):



You can follow Gwendolyn's journey at gwendolynstrong.com

KLTV interviewed the Strong family when they stopped at the Texas State Railroad Palestine Depot for a media event on Tuesday to promote awareness of SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy).

Click the blog title above for the video to show:

Gwendolyn Strong, a 20-month-old toddler, delighted in hearing the train whistles and taking photos in front of The Little Engine That Could™ at the Texas State Railroad Palestine Depot on Tuesday.

Gwendolyn's parents Bill and Victoria Strong of Santa Barbara, California brought their little girl to Palestine as part of their 5,000-mile round trip drive to raise awareness for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a paralyzing and terminal disease. The Strongs are making their trip across the country in an RV armed with banners, corporate sponsors and a call to action to end SMA.

More photos can be found on the Herald-Press Photo Gallery.




The “Sponsor-A-Mile to END SMA” drive (http://SponsorAMile.com), in which each mile driven is sponsored at $10 a mile, has a goal of raising $50,000. All proceeds will go to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (http://gwendolynstrongfoundation.org), which seeks to shed light on this deadly childhood disease and to fund SMA medical research that specialists and the National Institute for Health (NIH) believe is within five years of a cure.

The community is invited to meet the Bill and Victoria Strong family of Santa Barbara, Calif. when they stop by the Texas State Railroad's Palestine Depot at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 30.

The Strongs will be in Palestine on Tuesday as part of their campaign to drive 5,000 miles with their 20-month-old daughter Gwendolyn who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a paralyzing and fatal disease, across the country in an RV armed with banners, corporate sponsors and a call to action to end SMA.

A special event for media and community supporters is planned. The Little Engine That Could™ will be displayed at the TSRR during the event. The Strongs will say a few words about their journey, pass out information regarding SMA, and be available to speak to media.

The Texas State Railroad Palestine Depot is located at Park Road 70 on U.S. 84 East in Palestine.

For information on Gwendolyn, visit GwendolynStrong Foundation.org

Also, read the full story about the family and their visit to Palestine here.

Be sure to read Sunday's newspaper for a touching story about an ordinary couple who are doing extraordinary things in the midst of personal crisis.

Santa Barbara, California residents Bill and Victoria Strong have made it their mission to drive 5,000 miles with their 20 month-old daughter, Gwendolyn, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a paralyzing and terminal disease, across the country in an RV armed with banners, corporate sponsors and a call to action -- To END SMA!

The Strongs will be rolling into Palestine on Tuesday. Why are they stopping in Palestine?

Victoria’s grandparents, Harry and Madge Gillespie, were formerly longtime residents of Palestine, as were her great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents.

Her grandfather Harry Gillespie is 104 years old and moved from Palestine to Mississippi in 1964.

“After our daughter was diagnosed we set a trip to see him but it was canceled due to her health,” Victoria Strong said via a phone interview while traveling in the RV on their way to New Mexico on Friday. “Gwendolyn can’t travel by plane so this was our last option. We got an ‘OK’ from her doctors. Gwendolyn is doing well and Harry is doing well, so now was the perfect time.”
Strong said her grandfather still associates his life a great deal to Palestine.

“He spent so much time in Palestine that it really is his home,” Strong said. “All of our ancestors are buried in Palestine. I’ve spent a lot of time there and I want to visit the cemetery and show my family the town because of our family roots.”

The "Sponsor-A-Mile to END SMA" drive (http://SponsorAMile.com), in which each mile driven is sponsored at $10 a mile, has a goal of raising $50,000. All proceeds will go to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (http://gwendolynstrongfoundation.org), which seeks to shed light on this deadly childhood disease and to fund SMA medical research that specialists and the National Institute for Health (NIH) believe is within 5 years of a cure.