Kourtney Rivers, Age 13
Severn, MD

Home and Family

Kourtney lives with her mom Jackie, dad Tom, and their 2 dogs, Ruby and Lily.

Diagnosis

Kourtney was diagnosed when she was a year old with Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy, a form of muscular dystrophy that affects muscles and many other organs in the body. MMD causes weakness of the voluntary muscles, although the degree of weakness and the muscles most affected vary greatly according to the type of MMD and the age of the person with the disorder. As the disease progresses, the heart can develop an abnormal rhythm and the heart muscle can weaken.

School

Kourtney is in sixth grade where her favorite subjects are math, reading, art, music, and Physical Education.

Interests

Kourtney loves sports and enjoys participating in her bowling league and playing baseball with her League of Dreams baseball team. She also loves to sing and dance, and especially loves karaoke night at camp each year! Her favorite songs to sing are “Life is a Highway,” “Cruise,” and “Boys Round Here.”

MDA Activities

Kourtney and her family have been active supporters of MDA for years. Not only has she been on previous MDA telethons, but she has also served as a local Goodwill Ambassador for years, helping out with MDA events such as MDA Muscle Team in Washington DC, Team Momentum, softball tournaments, and numerous other events throughout the year. Along with raising money through a family golf tournament for MDA, Kourtney’s father recently ran with Team Momentum in the Marine Corps Marathon’s 10K race!