update

Linda Carroll TODAY contributor

6 hours ago

The parents of Eliza ONeill, the little girl with an incurable and deadly brain disorder, are making one final desperate push to raise funds for the clinical trial that will test a gene therapy for the diseaseand perhaps offer hope for Eliza.

Courtesy of Glenn ONeill

The ONeills have already raised $1.3 million through a viral video and hope that by Elizas fifth birthday on Sunday theyll hit their $1.8 million goal.

While there is no guarantee that Eliza will be among those chosen to participate in the trial, which could start sometime in the middle of 2015, its organizers say that at this point there is no reason that she wouldnt qualify.

Over the past year, the ONeills have tried to focus on aspects of life over which they have some control, such as helping to make the trial a reality and keeping their daughter as healthy as possible. Sometimes, they even allow themselves to think about what life might be like if Eliza was helped by the experimental medication.

Our hopes are for Eliza to have a life, and a good life, said her dad, Glenn ONeill. I sometimes let my mind go to places of future birthdays and her dating and getting married.

Stacey Quattlebaum

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A birthday wish: 'Saving Eliza' gets final push for medical trial