Singer-Songwriter and American Idol Contestant Sarah Burgess Releases New Song “Run Away” to Benefit CureDuchenne

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., December 4, 2013 – CureDuchenne, a national nonprofit organization that raises awareness and funds research to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, announced today that Sarah Burgess, singer-songwriter and contestant on the sixth season of American Idol, released a new song called “Run Away” to benefit CureDuchenne. Burgess’ 7-year-old brother Jacob lives with Duchenne – a progressive muscle-wasting disease. Boys with Duchenne are usually diagnosed by the age of 5, are in a wheelchair by 12 and most don’t survive their mid-20s. 

“I was inspired to write this song by the courage of my brother and all the boys who live with Duchenne,” said Burgess. “I decided on the lyrics ‘I’ll help you run away’ because this is something a child with Duchenne cannot do.  A cure for Duchenne would hopefully make this a possibility in the future and allow children to play and run without trouble. I also want families to mentally ‘run’ away from all the negativity the disease brings and ‘run’ towards finding the cure, together, making each other brave.”

All the royalties for “Run Away” will benefit CureDuchenne. “Run Away” can be downloaded through iTunes and other popular digital music retailers (www.smarturl.it/BuyRunAway). To further promote the song, a music video of Burgess performing “Run Away” has been released on YouTube (www.smarturl.it/RunAwayVideo) under CureDuchenne’s channel. In addition, a behind-the-scenes video and a Public Service Announcement featuring Burgess will be released in the coming months. All videos will be viewable on CureDuchenne’s website or YouTube channel upon being released.

“I was put on this earth to create music – I want to use my music to help raise awareness about Duchenne and fund research to find a cure for this devastating disease,” said Burgess. “Please join me in supporting CureDuchenne and help get us closer to the cure.”

“CureDuchenne is delighted that Sarah has shared her time and talent to spread the word about Duchenne,” said Debra Miller, founder and CEO of CureDuchenne. “As a mom with a son with Duchenne, I was touched by this song. Real progress toward a cure is being made. It is urgent that we continue to fund research and find a cure to help this generation of those impacted with Duchenne.”

CureDuchenne already has raised more than $11 million toward promising research aimed at treating and curing Duchenne and have advanced seven research projects to date into human clinical trials. CureDuchenne’s research investments have leveraged more than $100 million from biotech and pharmaceutical companies, venture capital funds and other foundations to fund research leading to a cure.

For more information on CureDuchenne go to www.cureduchenne.org or call 949-872-2552. To donate to CureDuchenne go to www.cureduchenne.org/RunAway.

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Burgess can be contacted on Facebook and Twitter, or through her website (www.sarahburgessmusic.com).

About CureDuchenne

CureDuchenne is a national nonprofit organization located in Newport Beach, Calif., dedicated to finding a cure for Duchenne, the most common and most lethal form of muscular dystrophy. As the leading genetic killer of young boys, Duchenne affects more than 300,000 boys worldwide.

CureDuchenne has garnered international attention for its efforts to raise funds and awareness for Duchenne through venture philanthropy. With the help of CureDuchenne’s distinguished international panel of Scientific Advisors, funds raised by CureDuchenne support the most promising research aimed at treating and curing Duchenne. To date, seven CureDuchenne research projects have made their way into human clinical trials – a unique accomplishment as few health-related nonprofits have been successful in being a catalyst for human clinical trials.

About Sarah

Sarah Burgess is a singer/songwriter and former American Idol (season six) contestant. The Pennsylvania resident released her first album, One, in 2008, followed by her newest effort, Just Me, of which she co-wrote nearly all of the tracks, in May 2013. Internationally, she was a finalist – and the first American competitor – in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, and has recently completed her fifth tour of Europe.

Currently, she is partnering with nonprofit CureDuchenne (cureduchenne.org) to raise awareness and find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Her song “Run Away,” written for her 7-year-old brother, Jacob, who was diagnosed with the degenerative disease a year ago, will be featured in a video campaign by the organization, including PSAs. “Run Away” is slated for release in December 2013, and 100% of the proceeds will go to CureDuchenne to fund research.

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