My name is Isabel Dreher, I am 18 years old, and I will be trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp this November.  Maybe you’re wondering why, how, with who?  I’ll answer those.  But first, I’ll tell you about my brother Gus.   Gus is now fourteen years old.  Nine years ago, he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive, muscle-wasting disease with no cure. As we both grew up, I slowly watched his body begin to betray him more and more, losing the ability to run, get up from the floor, stand from a chair, pick something up from the ground….. and this is just the beginning.  This has obviously been very, very difficult, for me, for him, and for our whole family.  My parents started a foundation (Hope for Gus) in 2010 to raise money for medical research,  however, I always felt like Duchenne was something that I had to accept that I couldn’t really do anything about.  Then in 2015, my mom created a new fundraiser, the biggest one yet, called Everest to End Duchenne.  Seeing my mom go to Nepal and trek to the base camp of the tallest mountain in the world was nothing short of inspiring for me.  After that trip, even though watching Gus grow weaker was still excruciating, there was almost a spark in me, knowing that I would be able to do something about it soon enough: I wanted to trek Mt. Everest……and I am going in November!    Every part of this trip excites me.  Seeing new places, having new experiences, challenging myself physically, meeting people, and doing it all for a cause extremely close to my heart.  However, probably the most meaningful moment will be when we reach Base Camp, after over a week of trekking in the Himalayas. There is a tradition in Nepal where people write their prayers on colorful prayer flags and hang them outside, letting the threads of the flags deteriorate over time.  The idea is that the prayers are flying into the wind.   When we get to Base Camp, we will be reading the names of hundreds of people suffering from Duchenne off of a huge prayer flag of our own, and let them float into the wind, carrying with them our prayers for a cure for Duchenne.  My brother Gus, and everyone who suffers from DMD will never be able to make this trek themselves, but in this way, we will be bringing them along. As symbolic and beautiful as prayers are, the point of this trek on Everest, and what will really actually help, is donations.  My goal is to raise $5,000, and every penny will be going towards medical research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.  If you know my brother Gus, or any boy with Duchenne, you understand what this disease is robbing them of every day of their lives.   It is tragic, painful and unfair....please donate if you can.<img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/42045110_1568563676880267_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="42045110_1568563676880267_r.jpeg" /> Thank your for helping me and the Everest to End Duchenne team as we trek for a cure or a better treatment for DMD!

Jess & Jamie Deans

Sue Graves

Gemma Dreher

Julie Jumisko

Cora Zingales

Anonymous

Marcella Trowern

Cathy Barker

Kristi Greathouse

Joanie Ehrbar

Paul and Anne Clifton Waite

Kim Proctor

Joanie Norman

Louise Danforth

Tiffany Calcutt

Jolene and Tom Sawyer

 Williams Family

Kandace Johnson

Jennifer  Bergeron 

Isabel's Everest to End Duchenne

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