On the cover: Alexis “Lexye” Mortimer, center, has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Pictured here with her parents, Joe and Melissa, and her twin siblings, Jory and Aaron, Lexye was the 2005 MDA Oklahoma Goodwill Ambassador. Dear Friends What is a Genetic Disorder? What is Genetic Testing? How are Genetic Disorders Inherited? What Happens in Actual Families? What May Happen in a Family With Duchenne MD What May Happen in a Family With Spinal Muscular Atrophy What May Happen in a Family With Myotonic MD Are There Genes Outside the Cell's Nucleus? MDA is Here to Help You

MDA is Here to Help You

The Muscular Dystrophy Association offers a vast array of services to help you and your family deal with neuromuscular disease. The staff at your local MDA office is there to assist you with services including:

• a nationwide network of hospital-affiliated clinics staffed by top neuromuscular disease specialists
• MDA summer camps for kids with neuromuscular diseases
• professionally facilitated support groups
• assistance with purchase and repair of wheelchairs and leg braces
• evaluations for physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapy
• flu shots
• equipment loan closets

MDA's public health education program helps you to stay abreast of research news, medical findings and disability information. Ask your local office for some of MDA’s latest publications, including “Services for the Individual, Family and Community.” Many MDA booklets are available in Spanish.

Everyone registered with MDA also receives Quest, MDA's award-winning national magazine that covers research, medical care, people, products, disability issues and more.

MDA's Web site at www.mda.org contains hundreds of pages of valuable information, including the texts of many MDA publications.

If you want to learn about the genetics of your particular neuromuscular disorder, you'll need to consult a specialist. Your MDA clinic physician can refer you to a geneticist or genetic counselor for testing and information. If you have any questions about muscular dystrophy, someone at MDA will help you find the answers.