Christal Cook, Age 16
Las Vegas, NV

Home and Family

Christal has three sisters and two brothers.

Diagnosis

Christal has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. This disease primarily affects boys, but in rare cases it can affect girls. Christal was diagnosed at the age of 12 at an MDA Clinic.

School

Christal is a junior and loves her science and English classes.

Interests

Christal enjoys watching TV with her family, listening to music and hanging out with friends. Christal is passionate about drawing and painting, and learning to use other mediums. She particularly likes drawing cartoons and people, and hopes to have a career in that field.

MDA Activities

Christal has been to MDA Summer Camp three times and can’t wait to go back for her fourth year. In 2014, Christal had the largest team at the Las Vegas Muscle Walk, with 31 walkers. She has attended bowling tournaments, visited stores selling Shamrocks and attended numerous other events throughout the year. Christal says MDA is special to her because it surrounds her with people who accept her and support her. Furthermore, MDA helped her to accept her diagnosis and feel positive about herself.