The 5th annual Cali-RAD Fest will be held at Weir Beer in Vista, CA on November 7, 2026. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a progressive and devastating muscle disease in children, mainly affecting boys. Historically, most boys who have it do not survive beyond their late twenties, and those that do will be using a wheelchair by age 12 and experience social isolation. The simplest of tasks become dif
ficult, and in the later stages, heart and breathing muscles begin to fail. Nearly 15,000 boys are living with the disease in the United States alone and over 300,000 worldwide. The disorder knows no cultural, economic, or social boundaries. Muscular dystrophies are a group of genetic disorders characterized by muscle weakness. Duchenne is the most common and severe form, caused by loss of dystrophin, beneath the sarcolemma. The molecular mechanisms of the disease have been extensively investigated since the discovery of the gene in 1986. Initial signs of cardiac dysfunction caused by Duchenne muscular dystrophy are usually detected during adolescence. However, decreased physical activity, even if wheelchair-bound, can allow better tolerance of decreased cardiac function. To date, there is not a cure for Duchenne, but there is a lot of research going on in this area. Cali-RAD has been created to help fund this research and do our part to help these boys and young men Rise Up against Duchenne! Visit CureDuchenne.org to learn more. Poster:
https://www.cureduchenne.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cureduchenne_duchenneimpact-1.pdf
