4 People with Muscular Dystrophy Speak Up

The stories of these four people with muscular dystrophy can destroy the stereotypes that are seen in people with disabilities and offer them the prospect of a full and productive life. 

Michael Klinkhammer

35-year-old Micheal Klinkhammer has Becker muscular dystrophy. He shared that all his time is spent advocating for this disease. He helps young people suffering from it to get the most out of life, and he also raises awareness of the condition. He also makes people realize that one can be more independent than they imagined with proper guidance. He explained that a person with muscular dystrophy can even enjoy the same things as a person without the disease. However, a person with muscular dystrophy needs to do things more slowly and differently.

Madeline Mary Evans

Madeline is a 12-year-old girl from Utah who suffers from spinal muscular dystrophy. She explained in a video how she manages her everyday aspects of living with muscular dystrophy with the help of her ukulele. She has been playing the instrument for the past two years, and it has made her realize that she has something positive to concentrate on by playing her music and singing along. Madeline discovered that her muscles were weak, so she could not play other instruments such as the piano or violin. Regarding weight and size, she found that the ukulele was the perfect fit. Now, she finds joy entertaining audiences with her singing and playing.

Blake 

Blake suffers from spinal muscular dystrophy, and he defied the doctor’s expectation. His doctor did not expect Blake to live past six years of age, but he is now 21 years old. He even studied at a university. In a video, he shared about his life with spinal muscular dystrophy as well as the negative aspects of being dependent on other people and the difficulties of being disabled.

Ethan Britt

Ethan was diagnosed with mild Becker muscular dystrophy in late childhood when he fell down while playing baseball. He does not have mobility issues, though, and is still strong. He raises awareness of the disease and also about the effects of more severe forms of the muscular dystrophy. He was diagnosed with the condition in 2015, and ever since, he has been raising funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He does this in an attempt to help those with severe forms of the disease. Ethan received many messages asking for help and advice on how to deal with the disease. He explains that, when he was playing baseball, he began feeling pain, which was the first symptom of the disease. He underwent testing and his doctors found that something was wrong. After further testing, it was determined that he had mild Becker muscular dystrophy. He shared that he feels blessed to have the mild form of the disease and he expressed his feelings after the diagnosis.

These four people have managed to deal with muscular dystrophy and still lead their lives in a productive manner. They have made changes in their exercise, diet, sleeping and environmental accessibility, and mobility in order to adjust to their respective situations.