MDA Programs
Walking Strong
When Tia Blankenship was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) in 2002 at the age of 23, she was told she wouldn’t be able to walk by the time she turned 35. This past April, at the age of 37, Blankenship walked both the 5K walk and the 1-mile walk at the MDA Muscle Walk of Tampa Bay (Fla.).
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Champion the Cause
Are you excited about the progress we are making in bringing strength, independence and life to individuals with neuromuscular diseases and their families?This holiday season, please remember to put MDA on your list. Please join us in supporting the important work being done to find research breakthroughs across diseases that accelerate treatments and cures; care for kids and adults from day one at more than 150 MDA Care Centers; and empower families with services and support, including equipment assistance, support groups and MDA Summer Camp for kids.
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Running Wild
By the end of this summer, Abel Alejandrino had already run two marathons and an ultramarathon in support of MDA. He had covered more than 100 miles — and he was just getting started. Alejandrino intends to run at least two more marathons this year as part of MDA Team Momentum, including the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October and the Dallas Marathon in December.
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My First MDA Muscle Walk
To be honest, before the 2016 MDA Wichita Muscle Walk, I’d only donated to an organization seeking to find a cure for muscular dystrophy once. I’d grown up as the older sister of a wonderful, unique brother with congenital myotonic muscular dystrophy. Dustin was born when I was three, and I thought that he was just the way he was meant to be, and that I was lucky to have the brother I did.
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All in the Family
Michelle Murphy, a marketing coordinator from Albany, N.Y., with myotonic muscular dystrophy (MMD, or DM), has been running for as long as she can remember. So when she was diagnosed with MMD in the summer of 2014, she began looking for ways she could use her passion for running to raise money to fight the disease.
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Access MDA Summer 2016
When Jessica Aviles’ son Gabe was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in November 2015, it was a complete shock. “I literally knew nothing [about the disease,]” Aviles says. “I had to look it up in the parking lot.”Over the next six months, Aviles went from knowing nothing about DMD to heading the largest Muscle Walk team at the MDA Muscle Walk of Tampa Bay. Early on in her research, Aviles came across MDA and Muscle Walk and decided to get involved so she and her family could join and support MDA’s cause.
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Strength in Numbers: A Walk to Remember
“I am the captain of the Muscle Walk team Hope for Harrison. The team walks in honor of Harrison, my son, who was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the summer of 2011. The biggest reason I support MDA is that MDA is about living a full life, including working to ensure those living with diseases like DMD live long, full lives.” — Jessie Aldridge, parent
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Living Unlimited Across America
This summer, MDA launched a new campaign called Live Unlimited that was inspired by the stories of individuals and families we serve. Together with our MDA community, we’ve challenged Americans to defy their limits — those we sometimes place on ourselves and those defined by others — and live life to the fullest.
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Quest Readership Survey: We Want to Hear From You
After listening to inspiring individuals with neuromuscular diseases and their families, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) launched a revitalized brand and new look for Quest Magazine in January 2016. We'd like to know what families think of Quest. Please take a few minutes to fill out the Quest Reader Survey and provide your feedback so we can continue to improve the information and resources we share in each issue.
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Strength in Numbers: ALS Allies
“If I had all my physical strength and everyday freedoms from before being diagnosed with ALS, I would want to give one more bear hug and kiss to each of my girls. Being able to physically pick them up and squeeze them in my arms is what I miss most in life. MDA and its wonderful, compassionate and helpful staff are an essential and integral part of my life, as well as others like mine." — Keith Gawrick, father of three daughters who is living with ALS
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