Texas QB Sam Ehlinger Joins Fight Against Batten Disease

Four years ago this week we wrote about how Longhorns were teaming up with a midnight run to raise money for Beyond Batten Foundation. This week, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger joined the race to fund the cure for Batten, a rare neurological disease that causes blindness, seizures, and eventually, death.

In a video released today, Ehlinger appears with 12-year-old Garland Benson, whose sister, Christiane is afflicted with Batten. Garland has already raised $370,000 toward funding the cure, which he says has been found. Garland's "Be a Hero" campaign looks to raise that number to $1 million, and he enlists Ehlinger to help get 100,000 people donate $10 each, by texting HERO to 501501. The overall goal by the Beyond Batten Foundation, which was founded in 2008 by Garland and Christiane's parents when Christiane was five, is $6 million.

The foundation is pursuing FDA approval for clinical trials, from which research could help slow the Batten's progress, buying some time for Christiane as she fights for her life.