ENCINITAS, Calif. -- Students in North County at St. John’s Catholic School are raising money to fight a rare disease, 10News reported.

They held a jog-a-thon Tuesday for 9-year-old student Parker Hume, who has juvenile dermatomyositis, also known as JM. JM is an autoimmune disease with no known cure. The life-threatening disease affects the muscles and blood vessels.

When Hume was first diagnosed, he could barely walk, but treatments have allowed him to become mobile again.

St. John’s students have held bake sales, lemonade stands and even emptied their piggy banks to help raise money for Hume.

To date, St. John’s students have raised $22,000, said 10News.