Clay Matthews, the Super Bowl-winning linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, became a part of the rare disease community almost by chance. His first exposure to Duchenne, a rare muscle degeneration disease that affects boys, was for a CureDuchenne PSA that he lent his likeness to. That year happened to be the year Matthews and his team won the Super Bowl.
The win meant the PSA received plenty of airtime, and Duchenne gained significant awareness. In the months that followed, Matthews found himself drawn into a tight-knit community that was searching for a cure.
“That was just the beginning,” says Matthews. It wasn’t until I started going to some of CureDuchenne’s galas and charity events that I got to know some of the children that were affected. The conversations with some of the kids and their parents… It all turned out to be so much more.”
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