Fourth Annual BLINGO To CureDuchenne Raised $240,000 to Fund Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research

Philadelphia, PA (October 31, 2017) – Philadelphia celebrities and more than 250 prominent leaders, community members and guests raised $240,000 to fund Duchenne muscular dystrophy research at the fourth annual BLINGO to CureDuchenne on October 14 at The Westin Philadelphia.  This binged-out evening presented by Cross Properties, benefited CureDuchenne, a national nonprofit that raises awareness and funds research to find a cure for Duchenne. The evening featured former Governor Edward G. Rendell; former Philadelphia Eagles player Tra Thomas as emcee; and three time NBA Champion and former Philadelphia 76er Scott Williams, radio host Kathy Romano, on-air health expert Dr. Jennifer Caudle, and Geno Vento, the owner of the famous Geno’s Steaks, as celebrity bingo callers.

Dr. Eric Olson from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center was honored at BLINGO to CureDuchenne for his gene editing research using CRISPR/Cas9, which has the potential to treat 80% of those with Duchenne.  Proceeds of BLINGO benefit CureDuchenne to help advance Dr. Olson’s research towards finding a cure for Duchenne.

“Having Duchenne is really tough. It has been hard to lose my ability to walk, raise my hands, sit up on my own, and many other things,” said Yuva Gambhir, 16, who lives with Duchenne. “On top of the physical challenges, Duchenne makes participating in social and other school activities much harder. I realized that while I have to live with these limitations, I can get involved and help to find a cure for Duchenne or many other diseases that greatly affect people’s lives.”

The event also recognized a young man, Mo Haider, who passed away two months ago from Duchenne.  His brother Hassan Haider shared Mo’s story and their family’s commitment to bring an end to this disease.  Both Yuva and Mo’s story and a video that showcased the challenges of living with Duchenne inspired guests to donate during the live auction and pledge.

“I achieved great things in my life because I had a special team around me,” said Scott Williams. “CureDuchenne also has a wonderful team that is committed to finding a way to halt the progress of the disease by bringing life-saving drugs to help this generation of Duchenne boys and I am confident they will achieve their goal.”

Duchenne is the most common and lethal form of muscular dystrophy. As the leading genetic killer of young boys, Duchenne affects more than 300,000 boys worldwide with nearly 15,000 boys living with the disease in the United States alone. Boys are usually diagnosed by age five, lose their ability to walk by 12 and most don’t survive their mid-20s. Currently, there is no cure for Duchenne.

BLINGO to CureDuchenne sponsors include: Allan Domb Real Estate, Cross Properties, Cashman & Associates, The Concierge Assistants, The Condo Shop/ TCS Management, Drexel University, Ed Rendell, EKL, Gold Oller Real Estate Investments, Keller Williams Realty, Krevitz Metals, Land Services USA, Lavelle Productions, M Artists, Mannington, OTG Management, Parx Casino, Philadelphia Eagles, Spark Therapeutics, Sarepta Therapeutics, Westcot Management Group, and TAG Consulting Group.

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. Duchenne affects more than 300,000 people worldwide, most of them boys and young men. 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, nine CureDuchenne research projects have advanced into human clinical trials. CureDuchenne also brings physical therapy and standard of care to local communities around the country through its CureDuchenne Cares Program.  For more information, please visit www.cureduchenne.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube

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