Dakota, age 6, Anakin, age 10, and Karl, age 35, have one thing in common: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Understand the realities of the theses families by watching our documentary. DMD is fatal and has no cure.
Watch our documentary here:
At the time of shooting…
Dakota was still walking, but was losing strength. As he was also afflicted with autism, his parents were faced with the tough choice of not giving him steroids, a DMD treatment with strong side effects.
At the time of shooting…
Anakin has just lost the ability to walk. The osteopath treating him is about to cycle across Canada to raise funds and awareness about the disease…
At the time of shooting…
Life expectancy for kids with DMD usually being 25 years, Karl defied all the odds. Because his family couldn’t afford the necessary equipment to take care of him at home, he now lives in a home for the elderly.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a rare disease, for which there is no cure. To ensure that young patients receive treatments that will relieve and delay the progress of DMD, it is important to establish a diagnosis quickly and to identify the genetic cause of the disease.
How do you know your child has Duchenne muscular dystrophy? What are the symptoms and warning signs?
Often, a first sign is delay in the development of muscle functions. Here is a quick overview of what you need to know about this …
Establishing an early diagnosis is key to your child’s well-being.
If your doctor suspects DMD, it is essential to get a clear diagnosis as fast as possible.
Here’s what you should know about how your MD and a neuromuscular specialist will come to a diagnosis
What do you do when your child is diagnosed with DMD?
How will the disease evolve and what can you do as a parent to ensure you’re making the right decisions about treatment as DMD progresses? Here’s a quick overview of what you need to know…
DMD is a rare disease. Consequently, resources are limited in every way, from research to access to new treatments and equipment. Families have been taking the lead by creating their own organizations. Our documentary series “Portrait of DMD” presents the leading Canadian families.
Twenty years ago, the Davidson family faced of DMD children’s inevitable fate for their son Jesse. John, his father, decided to walk across Canada to raise money for research. Their organization, Jesse’s Journey, continues on it’s mission to defeat DMD.
After receiving a DMD diagnosis for her son, Marie-Catherine Du Berger and her friend decided to found an organization. For five years now, The Force has battled the odds with help of local athletes who went beyond their limits.
When his brother Guillaume lost his motor skills in his arms, Samuel raised funds to get a JACO arm. Even though his brother died, Samuel created his own organization and to this day continues to push it forward.
There has never been more hope in history than at this time. Technology and research are at a crossroads and there are several opportunities for emerging treatments to be developed.
Get a glimpse of the most promising research and treatments in this series of interviews.
Canada is the only industrialized country without policies/categories for rare diseases. Learn more about Canada’s approval process here.
Discover the adenovirus-associated micro-dystrophin gene replacement therapy, by watching this interview with geneticist Dr. Jeffrey Chamberlain.
Understand the development of treatments using gene therapy and exon skipping in this interview with Professor Georges Dickson.
Various combinations of existing drugs offer a faster and less expensive development process. Learn more with Professor Steve J. Winder.
Learn about CRISPR/Cas9 technology for DMD and discover Professor Jacques Tremblay’s work by viewing this interview.
Learn about the potential benefits of OPG for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in this interview with Professor Jérôme Frenette.
