Dear Friend,

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit Justin’s web site. As a working parent I understand how difficult it is to set time aside to help others. It is however, this brief couple of minutes that you set aside that will make a difference in someone’s life.

That someone is my son Justin Patrick Gerity. You may not know Justin or myself or my wife Angela or Justin’s brother Brenden or his sister Amanda or his grandparents or…well, I believe you know what I mean.

Justin is 6 years old and has been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. For most of us, hearing Muscular Dystrophy conjures up images of Jerry Lewis and his Labor Day Telethon. I was one of those people who watched the Telethon, but never picked up the phone. I truly failed to realize the importance of the message being delivered right into my living room! God bless Jerry Lewis and everything he has done as the lead spokesperson for MD.

So what exactly is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or for that matter what is Muscular Dystrophy? Well, let’s put it this way, it’s a stop sign in the road that makes us consider precisely what is in front of us at the exact moment it’s required! If that doesn’t help, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a form of “Muscular Dystrophy.” “Muscular Dystrophy” is a broad term used to label gene-related disorders that affect muscles throughout the body. There are more than 20 specific genetic disorders considered to be Muscular Dystrophy. Most have the same result (a reduction in muscle strength due to weakening and deterioration) but these various types of Muscular Dystrophies are specific to different muscles in the body and different rates of degeneration. DMD (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy) is an x-lined recessive disorder, the most common of the muscular dystrophies and the most common, lethal diagnosis of childhood. DMD occurs at a frequency of 1 in 3,500 male births and affects all cultures.

This is the most difficult challenge, we as a family, have ever had to face. Justin is our son, our child, our flesh and blood. I am proud of Justin, Brenden, Amanda, and Angela in the way they have handled the devastating news, the traveling, the visits to specialists, and the challenges a special education child and parent face in our school systems.

As proud as my family is, we have come to the realization that we cannot do this on our own. The cost of medical supplies, doctor visits, materials to keep him ambulatory, materials to assist him with breathing, his heart beating, medicine, nutrition, beds, transportation, household alterations, physical therapy, childcare, supplying the necessary services that have been denied by our school district, and other incidentals we are unaware we may face, is overwhelming.

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