After suddenly losing vision and feeling in her body, Sumaira was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a rare autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system resulting in vision loss and paralysis. Two months after her diagnosis, she started The Sumaira Foundation (TSF), a now global nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of rare neuroimmune disorders, building communities of support for patients and their caregivers, funding research and advocating on behalf of patients.

Since 2018, TSF has funded $1m in rare neuroimmune disorder research, fellowship and journal publications as a result of grassroot fundraising. The aim of the 5K is to raise enough funds to support 2 additional research projects in 2025 through the Foundation’s SPARK and Unicorn grants.