Wishes For Drew

Our precious 7 year old son Drew was recently diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). DMD is a degenerative muscle wasting disease for which there is currently no cure. A diagnosis of DMD typically means being confined to a wheelchair by the early teen years,  and eventually leading to the inability to breathe independently and experiencing problems with the heart and ultimately having a much shorter life span. Drew is a happy, loving, energetic, and funny little boy who brings so much joy to our little family of four. He's a son, a younger brother, a cousin, a nephew, and a friend. Drew is loved by everyone who meets him due to his infectious smile and constantly upbeat attitude. Drew's diagnosis knocked us off our feet, but now we must get up, dust ourselves off, and fight back against DMD. 

Why is it called Wishes for Drew? The obvious answer is because we hope, pray, and wish for a cure for Drew's condition and we will fight for his cause. It's also called Wishes for Drew because of his fascination with blowing dandelion petals into the wind and making wishes on them. On one day in particular, Drew was looking over a field with tons of dandelions ripe for a (then 4 year old) boy to spread into the wind, he turned and said "Mom, just look at all those wishes out there". Drew has many wishes right now; to run as fast as his friends, to be able to walk up and down the steps without difficulty, and to not get tired and cramped up so easily. Drew also has many wishes for the future which he will tell anyone who will listen; what car he wants to drive, what job he wants to do, or what activity he looks forward to doing with his dad when he is old enough.  The goal in our family is to ensure that he has the best chance possible to realize as many of his dreams as possible!

Why gofundme?  Our family could never have imagined needing to start a gofundme for something like this. The diagnosis caught us blindsided and has already begun to exert financial strain as we try to provide the best possible care for our little guy. Many people have reached out to us wanting to know what they can do to help, which prompted us to start a fund to get Drew the care he deserves. Every single penny of the donations we receive will be put directly towards helping Drew. 

The current therapies and treatments available for DMD are only partially covered or not at all by insurance, with many expensive therapies, alternative treatments, supplements and eventual mobility aids being left for families to try to pay for on their own. Perhaps most importantly, when medical trials and new gene or stem cell therapies become available (in the US or abroad), the family must find a way to finance the costs on their own which can amount to tens of thousands of dollars. If a family is unable to afford to attend the trial or pay for the therapy, they are potentially missing out on life changing and life saving treatment for their child. We don't want Drew missing out on life altering treatment simply because we were too proud to accept the kindness of others willing to donate for his cause. We will do all we can to ensure he is well loved and taken care of along the way and appreciate any help with that.

The medical community has made some progress in developing therapies and drugs aimed at slowing down the progression of the disease in the last few years but unfortunately only slowing the progression, that being said we are told that many treatment options are currently in the developmental pipeline. We believe that groundbreaking treatments and therapies are on the horizon to treat Drew and thousands of other children just like him.

Our family truly is grateful for donations of any amount from those who are able, and if you are not able to donate, please send us your well wishes and prayers. Our goal is not to only be takers in this fight, but to give back as well. Eventual goals will be to raise funds for and bring awareness to the DMD/dystrophy community and all those who are fighting on behalf of loved ones affected by this disease. 

Thank you once more from the bottom of our hearts. 

Love, 
The Gunther Family


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