Arsenal player seeks help for infant with rare disease

ANKARA

Arsenal's German midfielder Mesut Ozil on Monday requested help for an infant battling a rare neuromuscular disease.

"I'd like to use my reach here on Twitter to help Metehan. Metehan is diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy - a genetic disorder. With your donation and your RT [retweet], we can save him together," Ozil said in a post on the social media site.

Ozil, 31, is a German citizen of Turkish descent. He helped Germany win the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

UK-based 11-month-old Turkish boy Metehan Fidan has been suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and needs a gene therapy called Zolgensma to recover.

The therapy is expensive, costing $2.1 million, said the website created for Metehan's treatment.

It added that Metehan's family is awaiting help for their child, as they "have a fight against the clock."

Donations for Metehan can be made at "www.metehansmajourney.co.uk".