Michelle Murphy is an avid runner. She routinely pounds the pavement through the neighborhoods of Albany, NY. When she needs a change of pace, she runs on the path through the park that skirts the Hudson River. Michelle even hoofs it to and from the gym. You’d never guess that the 24-year-old has Myotonic muscular . . .
A strong-willed man and a fun-loving prankster, Ronnie Townsend was “a character,” according to his sister Karen Hicks. Being diagnosed with ALS didn’t change that one bit. “He was a brother and he aggravated me to death,” Karen says, chuckling. “He aggravated me until the day he died.” She was the youngest girl in the family, . . .
Turning 16 years old is a pretty big deal, but Jordan George didn’t want that milestone birthday to be all about her. She wanted to give back. Jordan celebrated her sweet 16 in April by giving a gift to MDA — $1,600 in donations that she had asked for, instead of presents, for her birthday. . . .
With both of her sons living with muscular dystrophy, MDA Muscle Walk is personal for Tammy Gregory. “I kind of blamed myself when they were first diagnosed,” Tammy says, explaining that she didn’t know she was a carrier of flawed genes that cause Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). “I don’t blame myself now, but it’s hard . . .
For the founders of the ALS Bike Trek in Minnesota, the event is so much more than just a ride in the park. Founder Justin Rumley lost his dad, Steve, to ALS in 2009. Rett Landers’s brother, Jim, passed from Lou Gehrig’s disease on Thanksgiving in 2008. And Everett Myers’s father, Victor, died just 26 . . .
Thirteen-year-old Dana Parrott has a live unlimited motto, which she faithfully follows. “I may have muscular dystrophy,” she says. “But muscular dystrophy don’t have me!” In so doing, Dana is showing the world that her limits don’t define her. To every doubter and every “you can’t do that,” she says, “watch me.” Diagnosed with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) . . .
Three-year-old Paxton is the tiny, grinning powerhouse that keeps his grandpa, Stuart Horton, going. His smile gets Stuart out of bed every morning and, even though it’s tough for the 53-year-old with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease to travel, it’s his grandson’s future that motivates Stuart to participate in MDA Muscle Walk this year. “It’s the simple things . . .
For Cheryle Elliot and her son, Dakota, the Muscular Dystrophy Association is like a part of the family. From selling MDA Shamrocks to attending their local MDA Lock-Up event to participating in Muscle Walk, they do it all — with Dakota smiling and laughing all the way through. Dakota was born with congenital myotonic muscular . . .
Andrew Hussey runs to work and he runs home from work. He pounds the pavement on the weekends. He runs upwards of 80 miles a week — more than 600 miles since January — training for the multiple races he’ll run this year. But he doesn’t run all those miles for himself. He runs for . . .
Reid Wilson always wanted to be a race car driver. At 7 years old, Reid got to meet his hero, professional racer Jeff Gordon. When the little boy told Gordon about his dream, the NASCAR legend had nothing but encouragement. “Go for it,” he told Wilson. He did. Now a NASCAR driver himself and a . . .
