8-year-old to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to cure Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Eight-year-old Tyler Armstrong, of Yorba Linda, Calif., has set his sights 2012 on becoming one of the youngest ever to summit one of the highest mountains in the world, Mt. Kilimanjaro. He already set a record as the youngest person to climb Mt. Whitney in a single day – the highest peak in the contiguous United States. Showing remarkable compassion, Tyler decided he would climb Mt. Kilimanjaro not for himself, but for the 300,000 boys worldwide who suffer from Duchenne muscular dystrophy and for his friend 12-year-old Suhail Zaveri of Anaheim. So, today, Tyler, along with a group of others, announced they will climb Mt. Kilimanjaro June 23 – July 2, 2012 to raise money and awareness for CureDuchenne.

As the most common and lethal form of muscular dystrophy, Duchenne impacts one in 3,500 boys. Boys with Duchenne are usually diagnosed by the age of 5, in a wheelchair by age 12 and most don’t survive their mid-20s. “I am doing this climb to help Suhail and other boys my age that have Duchenne because most of them have a hard time even walking,” said Tyler.

CureDuchenne (CureDuchenne.org) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding research to find treatments, and ultimately a cure, so that this generation of those impacted with Duchenne can be saved. Tyler’s climb is being coordinated through .

CureDuchenne, as part of the fourth annual Climb to CureDuchenne Pick Your Peak event. If everything goes as planned, Tyler, due to special permission granted by the Tanzanian government, will be the second youngest to reach the 19,341 foot summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the youngest person to lead a fundraiser of this caliber for the nonprofit.

Achieving this impressive athletic goal requires a dedicated family, impressive athletic ability, a strict training regiment including four-mile runs coupled with an intensive training climb schedule. Achieving this compassionate goal requires a heart-felt want to help others who cannot do what he can. Along with CureDuchenne, Tyler is showing the world what can be done when anyone (even 8-year-olds) put their minds and bodies to it.

“Boys with Duchenne, Tyler, and CureDuchenne all seem to have one thing in common – determination,” said Debra Miller, founder and CEO of CureDuchenne. “We are thrilled Tyler decided to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to help find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy on behalf of the those impacted with Duchenne who can’t.”

Others can participate in Climb to CureDuchenne Pick Your Peak by choosing any mountain, hill or tall building to climb on June 23 or June 30, 2012. Anyone, regardless of athletic ability, is encouraged to participate individually or to form a team and secure sponsors/contributors to raise funds to find a cure for Duchenne. Click here to donate to the climb. To learn more about Tyler visit TopWithTyler.com.

Travel Dirty is the official travel sponsor for the Mt. Kilimanjaro climb. The international travel agency caters to those who want their vacations to include both stunning locations and athletic adventures.

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. 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.