Proceeds from Naperville man's toy sales help battle muscular dystrophy

Marty Karlin was taking boxes of his newly marketed "ShtankOut" toys to a UPS store when an employee asked him what he was sending out. The small, colorful, smiley characters that eliminate odors caught her eye.

They would be perfect for parents looking to throw a little something extra in a package for a college-age son or daughter, she told him. Why not sell them in the store?

Karlin, a Naperville resident, had just found another market in a growing number of retail outlets selling his new fundraising tool for muscular dystrophy. A portion of the $4.99 to $5.99 price for every Miracle Monkey, Funny Face and their pals goes toward research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the muscle-wasting disease that Karlin's 10-year-old son, Ryan, was diagnosed with five years ago.

Karlin and his wife, Geri, hope their efforts will help keep Ryan doing the activities he loves beyond current expectations. Boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy normally become wheelchair dependent before age 13 and many do not live beyond their mid-20s. As the disease progresses, it leaves them unable to move their legs, arms and hands, and eventually attacks the heart and lungs.

"Things need to happen quickly," Geri says. "You have to have hope."

Geri, who has a background as a registered nurse, saw her own brother, Patrick, die of Duchenne muscular dystrophy at age 17. But the Karlins point to advances that have been made since then. Ryan, who is being treated at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, has been taking steroids since his diagnosis to fight inflammation and slow the deterioration that causes the muscle to turn into fatty tissue. Because steroids stunt growth and make fractures more likely, he also takes medications to counter those effects. Still that's an improvement over the lack of treatment available when Patrick was alive.

"He's still walking at almost 11 years old," Marty says.

Ryan also has played hockey and baseball with coaches willing to make some adjustments for him, and supportive teammates and parents cheering him on.

"He can hit the ball, but he has a hard time running to first base," Marty says.

Ryan might not be able play sports next year, he says. Running has become more difficult, as has climbing stairs. The Karlins recently purchased a motorized scooter to help Ryan keep up with his friends.

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Proceeds from Naperville man's toy sales help battle muscular dystrophy