Funding research is our primary mission because those research dollars have the potential to generate a desperately needed cure for Duchenne. Kindness Over Muscular Dystrophy will support and fund key innovative research projects that show promise in the laboratory. Every kid with Duchenne has a hope that a cure is out there, and we mean to keep that hope alive with KOMD funded research dollars.

The benevolent assistance facet of our mission includes raising funds to help families purchase vital medical and accessibility equipment such as power wheelchairs, rotating beds, chair lifts, scooters and accessible vans. Health Insurance often does not provide adequate coverage for all the equipment a severely disabled person with a muscle-wasting disease requires. Without this equipment, Duchenne patients are often isolated and unable to attend many activities we all take for granted. The emotional toll is enormous.

Advocacy, including community outreach and education, is the third facet and is a meaningful part of Kindness Over Muscular Dystrophy’s mission. We attend yearly advocacy conferences in Washington DC and meet with our Senators and Congressman. They, including our governor and state lawmakers, have come to realize and appreciate the human faces behind this rare disease. They learn about the struggles rare disease patients face from delays in diagnosis to lack of available treatments. We raise awareness with our representatives on a national and local level because government funding of rare disease is essential. Most importantly, we get to personally participate in this great democracy of ours and we can let our representatives know how health care laws impact our family and our Duchenne community.