CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The pandemic has forced many medical research labs to close down, or shift their focus to finding a vaccine for COVID-19.

For people fighting rare diseases, it’s slowing down research that could save their lives.

That’s the case for Kendall Conner, a 6-year-old from Concord with Leigh Syndrome; a mitochondrial disorder that slowly shuts down the body.

People facing the rarest, incurable diseases don’t just pay for treatment. They often are paying for the experimental testing and research that may lead to a cure.

Between treatments, at-home learning, and taking care of two children, Kendall’s parents have to raise money to fund research at a private laboratory.

“[Kendall] makes the most of every day,” Kendall’s father Rick Conner says. “She's just a happy, sweet little girl that makes the most of every moment.”

The Conner’s have to raise another $60,000 to fund research. People can donate here.