There are many weapons in the battle against neuromuscular diseases: microscopes and computers; surgery, medication and physical therapy; wheelchairs, support groups and telethons. Dan and Monica Hilferty fight their son Patrick's Duchenne muscular dystrophy with Super Bowl tickets, famous autographs, dinners, theater tickets and works of art.

In February, the Hilfertys chaired the sixth annual and most successful MD Victory Auction for MDA. Some 600 items raised more than $65,000, bringing the Philadelphia benefit's six-year total to about $350,000.

"There's nothing else we can do for Patrick," said Monica of the auction, one of the country's largest MDA fundraisers. "It keeps us positive."

A few years ago, her husband, an executive with Main Line Book Company/Chelsea House Publishers, read about fund-raising auctions and got in touch with an old grade-school friend, Steve Comly, now an auctioneer. Comly helped the MDA group get started and has volunteered as auctioneer every year.

The key to the event's success, said Monica, a real estate agent, is legwork. Committee members spend several months contacting every businessperson they know (and many they don't know) to ask for donated items. Most donors clothing stores, hotels, gourmet shops, sports equipment dealers, travel agents, video stores, restaurants, jewelers, bookstores and dozens more contribute every year. Letters to celebrities, television shows and sports teams result in a gold mine signed jerseys from the likes of Charles Barkley; autographed scripts for TV shows ranging from "M*A*S*H" to "Melrose Place"; and a bounty of souvenirs signed by famous names from Pat Sajak to Michelle Pfeiffer.

Both silent and live portions of the auction include items valued from $20 up. Cruises can bring more than $2,000 each, and Super Bowl tickets go for up to $1,500, not including transportation or accommodations.

Food, printing, publicity and other necessities are also donated. Dan's company annually contributes proceeds from sales of designated books this year adding $93,000 to the auction total.

The four Hilferty children get in on the auction action, too. Danny, 13, was a runner during the event; Monica, 8, and Michelle, 5, and their brothers helped set up.

Patrick, 11, who was profiled on the MDA Telethon national broadcast in 1988, is a fifth-grader who enjoys school, computers and girls. He often accompanies his parents on speaking engagements to assist MDA, helping kick off the fire fighters' Fill-the-Boot campaign each year, among other activities.

Says Monica of the auction, "This can be done anywhere. You just have to know ahead of time you're in for the long haul. But the end result is worth every minute."