Boy with rare disease wants ‘super idol’ Cristiano Ronaldo’s best wishes before surgery

10-year-old Marcus Ng, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, is a big fan of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Photos: YouTube/Wenus Chan (left), Facebook/Cristiano Ronaldo (right)
10-year-old Marcus Ng, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, is a big fan of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Photos: YouTube/Wenus Chan (left), Facebook/Cristiano Ronaldo (right)

A Hong Kong boy with a rare neuromuscular disorder is trying to get the attention of his favorite football star, Cristiano Ronaldo, ahead of a risky surgery next week.

Marcus Ng, 10, introduced himself in a YouTube video posted by his parents last Thursday.

“Hello I am Marcus from Hong Kong! I am so excited and happy to receive your letter,” Ng said, referring to a letter that the Manchester United F.C. manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær mailed to him after his parents reached out about their son’s condition.

“I am a big fan of Manchester United. I love Cristiano Ronaldo very very much. I wish you all very good results in the coming Premier League,” he continued.

Ng has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type I, or Werdnig-Hoffmann disease. Children with the rare illness suffer from feeding problems, involuntary muscle twitching in the tongue and respiratory distress. They can also develop scoliosis when they are older, according to the Hong Kong Society of Neuromuscular Diseases.

In an RTHK interview four years ago, mother Wenus Ng said that his son’s spine is curved by over 20 degrees, and that doctors believe it could get worse.

Marcus Ng, 7, tells media reporters that a new drug recently approved by the Hong Kong government has allowed him to have a much easier time eating. Photo: YouTube/Wenus Chan

His parents wrote in the video description that Marcus will undergo a “very risky” spinal surgery on Sept. 27.

“We hope to contact Mr Cristiano Ronaldo — his super idol to give him some support,” the description reads.

“Please LIKE this video. We know that we are asking a lot, but we want to prove to Marcus and our family that even it is impossible, we can do it!”



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