This year's Team Teddy 5k supporting Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy will take place on Sunday, 10/3 at Barlow Mountain Elementary School, where both Teddy White and Conner Curran attend.  This year marks the second running of the Team Teddy 5k, which took the place of the cancelled 2020 Chicago Marathon for Kate, Bonnie Pope, Emily Carr and Rachel Marino. This October 10th Bonnie will be toeing the line in Chicago for Team Teddy as our efforts continue.  

The 2021 Team Teddy 5K and Kids Kindness Rock Project is on for Sunday, 10/3 at 9:15 am. The kids can start their art at 9:15 (supplies and rocks provided) and the 5K at 9:30 at Barlow Mtn. Elementary (course map: https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/4647896029)

Kate White started the run last year with 14 other Ridgefield friends in place of her running the cancelled 2020 Chicago Marathon for her son Teddy White. Kate and her husband Justin are parents to Teddy (3) and Caiden (6).  Teddy was diagnosed with Duchenne just shy of his second birthday and join forces with other families in the fight for a cure. 

Duchenne is a genetic disorder characterized by the progressive loss of muscle due to the body’s inability to make dystrophin, a muscle building protein. It is a multi-systemic condition, affecting many parts of the body, which results in deterioration of the skeletal, cardiac, and pulmonary muscles. Most boys with Duchenne become non-ambulatory in their early teenage years, and many don’t live past their late 20’s. Duchenne affects approximately 1/5,000 live male births and an estimated 20,000 children worldwide are diagnosed each year. Because the dystrophin gene is found on the X-chromosome, it primarily affects males, while females can be carriers. There are also cases where the gene mutated without having a mother as a carrier. Because DMD affects the heart, female carriers are at risk of having heart issues and cardiologist follow-ups are recommended every five years.

There is no cure for DMD, but research is promising in the field of gene therapy and gene editing. Gene therapy is undergoing FDA trials and has been shown to be promising in delaying wheelchair bound status. Conner Curran was one of the first boys dosed with a gene therapy trial several years ago and until recently, had been on a steady path without regression. Gene editing with the use of CRISPR is being researched in the lab and has the possibility of changing the trajectory of the rapidly progressive, irreversible disease that is Duchenne.

If you prefer, you may also mail a check, made payable to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, to:

Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy
1012 14th Street NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005

(Please note that the check is in honor of Team Teddy/Race to End Duchenne)

All funds raised will benefit Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (join.parentprojectmd.org) and go directly toward researching a cure. Your contribution is 100% tax deductible.

Duchenne is the most common fatal genetic disorder among children. To date, there is no cure or treatment to stop the progression of Duchenne.

Those with Duchenne are truly in a race against time as their muscles deteriorate further each day. Please help us put an end to the devastating disorder by making a donation.

Thank you for your support!