Joseph and I will be racing for the 5th straight year on June 23rd in the Motor City Triathlon on Belle Isle, Michigan to help bring awareness and raise funds to battle Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. We completed our first triathlon together in 2015 with help from Michael Fahy and Ralph Ellis in the Detroit Triathlon and had so much fun, excited to do it again and again! We would greatly appreciate any donation to help fund the fight versus this terrible disease. My buddy, Joseph, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was 5 years old. Although a diagnosis can be overwhelming, and a disease of this magnitude can begin to define a child, Joseph has led the way with a positive attitude and a love of life. Imagine struggling to climb the steps in your home, never experiencing the joy of running, progressively losing independence and having doctor appointments and hospital visits as a regular part of your routine. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most common degenerative genetic muscle disease in boys. As most boys are growing stronger and gaining independence, boys with Duchenne are losing muscle function and mobility. Duchenne is not limited by race or socio-economic status. Typically diagnosed between the ages of 2 and 6, it primarily affects boys. In fact, 99 percent of the almost 20,000 new cases each year are boys, meaning 1 boy out of every 3,500 will be diagnosed. At this time, there is no treatment and no cure that stops the progression of Duchenne, but there is great hope! There is more promise than ever before that our boys will be able to play football with their friends, run through their backyards catching bugs, climb the steps on the school bus , maintain their mobility and independence, and live long healthy lives.
