College Station, TX- Fire fighters will be out on the streets of College Station asking motorists to help Fill the Boot for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on Friday August 30th, Saturday August 31st & Sunday Sept 1st. Every dollar that passing motorists can pitch into the fire fighters boots helps the College Station Fire Department and the College Station Professional Fire Fighters Association provide medical treatment and support services to individuals and their families living with neuromuscular diseases in the greater College Station area. Make a difference to Muscular Dystrophy families by making a donation! Please visit your local fire fighters on the corners of Texas @ Southwest parkway, George Bush @ Texas Ave, Harvey Rd @ Hwy 6 Feeder, WD Fitch @ Hwy 6 Feeder, Rock Prairie @ Longmire Dr. and GlenHaven @ University. Fire fighters will be filling the boot between 9 am to 12 pm and 4 pm to 7 pm. Fire fighters are American heroes who make such a difference for the people and families we serve, said MDA Executive Director Vienda Velasquez. The funds they raise are used for health care services and equipment support, and to help send kids to free MDA summer camps. … Continue reading →

Muscular Dystrophy Australia is sending a personal letter to AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou to urge him to make a donation to Muscular Dystrophy Australia from the $2 million fine lodged against Essendon Football Club for the misuse of banned substances, some of which were associated with Muscular Dystrophy. We are writing to the AFLs Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Demetriou, to implore him to make a donation to Muscular Dystrophy Australia to support vital care and research needed for the community which has been dragged into this ordeal, said Muscular Dystrophy Australia Executive Director, Boris M Struk. An identical letter is also being sent to AFL Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick. We hope that the AFL Board takes our request seriously and realises that there can be a great deal of good that can be achieved in light of recent events, said Mr Struk. Muscular Dystrophy is a term used for more than 60 neuromuscular disorders and it is defined as a progressive muscle destroying disorder which wastes all muscles away causing immobility, respiratory problems and cardiac complications. This is a condition which affects 1 in 1,000 Australians and 82 per cent of children aged 0-14 years with MD are boys. Football is … Continue reading →

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J., Aug.26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Data published in the medical journal Muscle & Nerve demonstrate the clinical meaningfulness of the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) as a primary endpoint to measure disease progression and walking ability in ambulatory Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) trials. The research also showed that a range of 20 to 30 meters in walking ability is a clinically meaningful change, as measured by 6-minute walk distance (6MWD). This analysis is based on natural history data obtained from PTC Therapeutics' Phase 2b trial of ataluren in 174 patients with nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (nmDMD), the first placebo-controlled, multi-national study of a new chemical entity for DMD. (Logo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20010919/PTCLOGO) "Given that several novel approaches to the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy have shown promise in preclinical and/or proof-of-concept clinical studies, the research community has faced the need to identify and develop clinically meaningful outcome measures for use in pivotal therapeutic trials. In boys with DMD, walking abnormalities are a major disease manifestation that have great importance to patients and their families," stated Dr. Craig McDonald, one of the world's leading experts in muscular dystrophy clinical endpoints and DMD natural history studies and lead author of the two publications. "We … Continue reading →

Again this year, Englewood firefighters will be staffing four locations for the annual Fill the Boot campaign, collecting donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Englewood firefighters will be at the King Soopers store at Floyd Avenue and Broadway, the King Soopers at Federal Boulevard and Belleview Avenue, the Englewood Walmart and the Englewood Light Rail Station on Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and Sept 2. The money we collect helps International Association of Firefighters Local 1736 members here provide medical treatment and support services to about 10 Englewood-area residents and their families who are dealing with some form of neuromuscular disease, said Dan Alley, Englewood firefighter. The money we collect goes to the local MDA to help people in our community and around Colorado. The International Association of Firefighters has been a fundraising partner with MDA for more than 50 years. Some of the money from the Fill the Boot project goes to assist many of the more than 300 MDA-supported worldwide research projects seeking cures and better treatment for those suffering from more than 40 neuromuscular diseases. Firefighters around the metro area have supported the Fill the Boot project but, for several years, Englewood didnt take part in the fundraiser. … Continue reading →