Everest to End Duchenne

I would like to introduce a friend of mine, Gus. Gus is the son of my friend Tonya, whom I grew up with. Gus will be bound to a wheel chair by the age of 15. He will likely take his last breath before 30. This horrible future will happen if medicine does not advance beyond today. I am trekking up a mountain trying to help raise money for the ongoing research and development of medicine and treatments that will one day be a cure.

 

It's up to researchers to find a cure for Duchenne Muscular dystrophy. Duchenne affects around 1 in 3,600 boys, which results in muscle degeneration and premature death often before the age of 30. Gus is now 12 and I hope so very much for Gus to continue and grow and develop his trademark "happy go lucky" personality. One day when Gus is old and grey he can reflect on the wonderful life he has been blessed with. 

 

I will be taking part in a 100+ miles trek to the Base Camp of Mount Everest in Nepal this September of 2017, the highest peak in the known world, at a height of 17,500ft (5,400m) above sea level.

 

The primary aim of my hike,  a distance of just over 100 miles, is to raise awareness of and funds for research and steps toward finding an effective treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).