Yesterday was Rare Disease Day 2013–a way to raise awareness for the many rare diseases that most people have never heard of unless they know someone who has been affected. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is one of those diseases. It is a heartbreaking diagnosis because there is no cure for Duchenne which affects 1 in 3,500 boys. According to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy,
“Duchenne results in progressive loss of strength and is caused by a mutation in the gene that encodes for dystrophin. Because dystrophin is absent, the muscle cells are easily damaged. The progressive muscle weakness leads to serious medical problems, particularly issues relating to the heart and lungs. Young men with Duchenne typically live into their late twenties.”
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy has created a film which gives an overview of Duchenne which is on youtube…