Local Bands Rockin’ to CureDuchenne on June 2 to Raise Funds to Find a Cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., May 20, 2013 – Three local Orange County bands will perform a concert on June 2 to benefit CureDuchenne, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness and funds research to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The “Rockin’ to CureDuchenne” concert features Breach the Summit, Johnny and the Gentlemen, and The Hager Boyz who are donating their time and talent. This family-friendly concert will be held at Stonegate Elementary School at 100 Honors in Irvine and begin at 2 p.m.

The event is being organized by Irvine resident Tiffany Cook. Her son Wil, who will turn 13 the day of the concert, lives with Duchenne. Duchenne is a progressive muscle-wasting disease that impacts 1 in 3,500 boys. Boys are usually diagnosed by 5, in a wheelchair by 12 and most don’t survive their mid-20s. There is currently no cure.

Cook and Harmony Hager, Wil’s sixth grade teacher at Stonegate, created “Rockin’ to CureDuchenne” as a fun way to generate more awareness about Duchenne and to raise money to fund research to find a cure for Duchenne.

“Most people have never heard of Duchenne until a family member is diagnosed and then it rocks your world,” said Cook. “It is devastating to watch your child lose muscle strength and not be able to do activities that other boys his age are doing. Our family likes to say that ‘if there is a Wil, there is a way.’  We are doing everything we can to help fund research to find a cure for our son and the other 300,000 boys worldwide living with Duchenne.”  

Wil is featured in a CureDuchenne video that shows both the urgency and the hope of finding a cure. Wil’s classmates at Stonegate and his friends are his biggest supporters.    

“Wil is a joy to have in class and my students have rallied to support him and other boys with Duchenne,” said Hager. Hager’s class recently had an assignment to write a persuasive essay. Collectively, they decided to write letters to the Ellen DeGeneres Show about Wil living with Duchenne to persuade the producers to have him on the show to help raise awareness about Duchenne.

“Real progress toward a cure is being made but we need the public’s continued support to help us accelerate the discovery and development of new treatments for Duchenne,” said Debra Miller, founder and CEO of CureDuchenne. “Fundraisers like Rockin’ to CureDuchenne help get us closer to a cure.”

Tickets cost $20 and all proceeds benefit CureDuchenne.  To purchase tickets, click here.  For more information, go to www.cureduchenne.org or call 949-872-2552.

“Rockin’ to CureDuchenne” sponsors include ART Janitorial Services, McNeill Travel Plaza and KIP.

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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.

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