This is Max. Max is a very dear friend of ours and he has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. DMD affects 1 in every 3,500 live male births and results in progressive loss of muscle use. These boys typically lose the ability to walk between the ages of 10 and 14. By their late teens they will lose strength in their upper body and require help with breathing. Young men typically don't survive past their 20's or early 30's. There is a fabulous organization called Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. This organization provides a source of information and support for parents, but mainly they raise money to fund Duchenne research. There is some really interesting progress with various therapies, including something called exon skipping, which may allow some boys with DMD to retain muscle function longer.
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy has been involved in the Chase Community Giving event taking place on Facebook. In round 1, PPMD was one of the top 100 charities, which earned them $25,000. In round 2, we are voting for one charity to win $1,000,000. A million dollars is a significant amount of money to put towards DMD research. If you are on facebook, PLEASE take the time to vote!
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