Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) is proud to announce that after the passage of a Resolution he introduced this past legislative session, Saturday, September 16 will be known as Microvillus Inclusion Disease (MVID) Awareness Day in New York.

Ra met with Thomas Kevin Onorato, a four-year-old diagnosed with MVID, and his family, last fall. Thomas’ parents, Tom and Melissa, started the TKO Strong Foundation soon after Thomas’ diagnosis in hopes that they could help improve the lives of other children with MVID by raising awareness and supporting research to find better treatments.

“No child should spend the majority of their young life in and out of hospitals,” said Ra. “It was a privilege to meet such an extraordinary young man as Thomas, and I am so excited to help raise awareness about MVID. I hope that together with the Onorato family, we can continue to raise awareness about this terrible genetic disease and in turn help raise funds for a cure or more effective treatments, so children such as Thomas don’t have to spend so much of their childhood inside hospitals.”