Local students raise money to research condition affecting classmate

OAK HILL, WV (WOAY) — Local high school students tackled a unique assignment when their teacher told them to give up their weekends to support a good cause.

For one group of teens, that meant taking the time to raise money for dystonia research.

Similar to Parkinson’s, dystonia causes involuntary muscle contractions. It’s fairly common, but there is no cure. In hopes that someday that might change, the students hosted raffles and bake sales to raise $233 to the Dystonia Foundation.

The reason they chose dystonia? Classmate Dylan Sharp was diagnosed with the condition at nine years old. He’s the only one in the U.S. with both dystonia and a rare movement disorder.

If you missed the kids’ bake sale, you can still donate at dystonia-foundation.org.

Watch the video for the full story.

Sponsored Content
Kassie Simmons
Kassie Simmons joined the team in January 2019 as a weekend journalist. She graduated from Virginia Tech in just two and a half years with a BA in multimedia journalism. During her short time at Virginia Tech, she served as the editor for the university’s chapter of The Tab. Kassie was named the top reporter for The Tab at Virginia Tech on multiple occasions and made the list for the top 30 reporters for The Tab in the U.S. She also studied theater performance and minored in creative writing. Before coming to WOAY, Kassie interned at WSLS in Roanoke and the Tidewater Review in her hometown of West Point, Va. She has loved following breaking news since her childhood and has a passion for delivering the stories people care most about. Kassie is excited to be working in Southern West Virginia and looks forward to all the adventures ahead of her. You can follow her on Twitter at @KassieLSimmons and like her page on Facebook. If you have a story you think she should check out, send her an email at ksimmons@woay.com.