Defying the Odds of Living with Duchenne, Decade After Decade

When it comes to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Leonardo Feder knows he’s among the lucky ones.

A resident of São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, Feder was diagnosed with Duchenne at age 6 and immediately began taking corticosteroids as well as heart medicine and supplements.

“I’ve been well-medicated all my life, so I’m fine,” the 33-year-old said in a phone interview. “I’m in good health.”

It also helps that both his parents, David Feder and Ana Lucia Langer, are doctors.

“When I was diagnosed with Duchenne, there wasn’t much information about the disease, so they decided to research it by themselves,” he said. “My father is a pulmonologist and general clinician. And my mother, originally a pediatrician, now only treats neuromuscular diseases.”

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