Find Your David

Support Find Your David 2025

In August 2022, our world shifted forever when our joyful, curious, and kind-hearted son David was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) - a rare genetic disorder affecting approximately 1 in every 3,500 boys. The diagnosis was devastating, but our journey has been one of learning, resilience, and unwavering hope.

Duchenne is more than a medical condition—it’s a daily challenge that affects families emotionally, physically, and financially. From costly medications and adaptive equipment to travel for clinical trials, funding educational and daily living support and home modifications, the burden can be overwhelming. And yet, every child deserves to live with dignity, joy, and opportunity—and every parent deserves to witness that.

Since launching Find Your David, we’ve been humbled by the generosity of our community. Over the past three holiday seasons, your support has helped us raise nearly $300,000, directly impacting families living with Duchenne. Together, we’ve:

Delivered 280+ holiday gift cards to families in need
Funded home accessibility upgrades
Supported clinical trial travel costs
Sponsored attendance at the PPMD annual conference
Backed JB’s Keys to DMD and their Bruins and adaptive ski programs
Contributed a $30,000 grant toward cardiac research in Duchenne
Launched an entrepreneurship program for those living with DMD
Launched a program intended to advance STEM skills in young men and boys living with DMD

This year, we’re continuing those efforts—and launching something new.

🌟 A New Chapter: Supporting the Duchenne Program at UMass Chan Medical School

For years, JB’s Keys to DMD has been a supporter of the Duchenne Program at UMass Chan Medical School (UMass). This Duchenne-focused medical clinic is the largest in the country, and is an absolute necessity to hundreds of families. Currently, there is a lack of funding available to UMass, and all other university-backed medical programs throughout the country, which rely heavily on NIH funded research grants.

For families like ours, there is a lot of time spent at the clinic. Multiple times per year, DMD patients sit in waiting rooms while teams of specialists do their rounds. We are so incredibly grateful and fortunate to have UMass in our backyard, and are always striving to support the clinic and make the patient experience the best it can possibly be. That’s why, with your support, we are attempting to add activities to help patients pass the time. We are hoping to add pre-loaded video game consoles, gaming carts, and create a community area where families can interact socially.

🎁 Your Donations Will Support:

Holiday gift assistance for families living with Duchenne
ADA-accessible Bruins game experiences
Adaptive ski weekends at Loon Mountain for families
Continued development of our newly launched Workforce & Entrepreneurship Transition Program
Continued development of our newly launched STEM enrichment program
Patient experience improvements for the Duchenne Program at UMass Chan Medical School