What Has MDA Achieved?

MDA is the world’s largest nonprofit supporter of research on neuromuscular diseases. MDA supports nearly 350 physicians and scientists each year, with a research commitment in about 40 different neuromuscular diseases of about 30 percent of the total amount spent by the National Institutes of Health. As such, MDA has contributed to almost every development in muscle biology in the last 50 years.

MDA sponsored research has resulted in breakthroughs in treating diseases. For example, MDA-funded research helped Genzyme develop a therapy for Pompe disease called Myozyme, which has saved the lives of many patients with this devastating disease. Even where no “cure” is available yet, MDA research has resulted in better treatments that result in increased survival and better quality of life. In the past, boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) died in their teens, but there are now some 40-year-old men living with the disease.

MDA has been involved in research into basic muscle and nerve biology since MDA’s inception, when virtually nothing was known about how muscles were formed or functioned, even in non-diseased tissues. Since then, thousands of scientific papers have been published explaining how the tissues work and what goes wrong in neuromuscular disease. MDA funding supported the research that led to the discovery of the genetic causes of dozens of diseases, starting with the discovery of the dystrophin gene in 1986. Without this knowledge, there was no hope for curing diseases. While continuing to make new discoveries in this area, this research is also paying dividends as new therapies move into clinical testing and to market.

MDA’s research program has been so successful over the years that MDA started the translational research program in 2004 to help accelerate therapy development based on these results. This program attracted so much interest that it was expanded in 2009 by the formation of MDA Venture Philanthropy (MVP), which operates with a more venture capital-like approach. MVP is exclusively focused on the funding and commercialization of treatments and cures for neuromuscular diseases, and hopes to increase the speed of moving drugs through clinical development.

Branch 769 was awarded the Bronze Level Award at the 2016 National Convention in Los Angeles

Letter carriers who saved people from car accidents or home fires, helped rescue a teenager who had been abused for months by her captors, or turned a personal tragedy into a campaign to help others, were among those honored on Oct. 30.

Ivan Crisostomo of Sacramento, CA, spotted a young girl hiding behind a tree on his route and, after some discussion, learned that she had just fled her kidnappers, who were searching for her. He remained with her until emergency responders arrived, and is the 2019 Special Carrier Alert winner. Mitchell Rivas of Berea, OH, whose Maryssa’s Mission Foundation—set up after his 28-month-old daughter died from congestive heart failure and which has helped thousands of families—is the Humanitarian of the Year. The National Hero of the Year is Austin Rentz of Waterloo, IA, who rescued a woman from a house fire before firefighters arrived.

Several other carriers were also recognized as heroes. They represent thousands of letter carriers who not only deliver the nation’s mail six or even seven days a week, but often assist in situations involving accidents, fires, crimes or health crises, or improve the communities in which they work.

Michael Musick of Bellflower, CA, who helped save two fellow letter carriers struck by an out-of-control car, is the Western Region Hero of the Year. The Central Region Hero of the Year, Mark Schuh, of Princeton, IN, saved a man and his beagle from an aggressive pit bull. Theresa Jo Belkota, of Lewiston in Western New York, who aided a seriously injured boy who had been run over by a lawn mower, is the Eastern Region Hero of the Year.

This is the story of a young man, Joe Akmakjian. He is the MDA ambassador for 2016 ( the first adult ambassador ). He spoke at the National Convention and was very inspiring. He , and others like him are the reason we have MDA fundraisers and 50/50 raffles etc. Every little bit we raise helps those with muscular dystrophy lead as normal lives as possible.

Cherry hill-haddonfield merged

Branch 769 - MDA Event - Letters to Santa 2019

Branch 769