The Walk to End Duchenne was held on May 11 in an effort to raise funds for Jesse's Journey, an organization that supports the research for a cure for Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This was the fourth year the event has been held in Weyburn.
Favourable weather and a good turnout were encouraging for the organizers, Andrew and Mandy Kerr.
"We had 96 people out for the walk, which is up from last year," said Andrew Kerr. "We raised $15,177, with a few more donations still expected to come in, so it was a fantastic year for us."
Usually the route is about five kilometres, but with the construction out on the old Souris Valley grounds, this year's walk was just under 5K.
"It's a good event because the whole family can come out and participate," he said. "We definitely get a lot of people who come out every year or at least try to, but there is always some new faces, too, which is nice to see," he said.
The disease almost exclusively affects boys and in fact, affects one boy in 3,600. While females can carry the recessive gene that causes DMD, it only manifests in boys, who become unable to walk by their teen years and are given a life expectancy of 25.
For more information, visit jessesjourney.com.
