Working to find a cure, walking to spread awareness for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Duchenne is a form of muscular dystrophy that impacts young children. Typically children are diagnosed between the ages of 2 and 7. They rarely live to their 20s.
"No child has ever survived it so it’s claimed every life of every child that’s ever had it," said James Raffone, the Founder and CEO of Jar of Hope. Jar of Hope is an organization dedicated to finding a cure for DMD.
Raffone created this after his son was diagnosed in 2013. Now, he's walking for a cure. He's walking 260 miles with a group of men.
"My hope for people is to really understand our desperation. People are used to walking 5k maybe a marathon but we’re walking from dc to jersey to make a statement that’s it’s not enough we have to get out of our comfort zone we have to realize how devastating this disease is and we need people like Bruce and his team to understand the gravity of this disease," said Raffone.
Bruce Schindler is the President of Bob Davidson Ford Lincoln. He walked alongside the Jar of Hope group Tuesday, with several employees, for a mile to show their support. They donated $15,000 to Jar of Hope. Schindler said he heard about this disease from a friend of his, a Ford dealer in New Jersey, who's grandson was diagnosed with DMD.
"We wanna be able to let everyone know this horrible disease is out there and raise some money to support the cause to find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy," said Schindler.
Now the group has 210 more miles to go. They plan to get to New Jersey by Monday, October 19. To learn more about the disease or to donate, click here.
All the money raised goes directly to helping kids with DMD. Raffone said right now they are funding a $35,000 a month study to help these kids.
