Historic Date Coinciding with Birthday Could Prove Auspicious for Charley’s Fund Namesake

Charley Seckler

Charley Seckler

(STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – “A Wish for 11-11-11,” a 30-second video released today on Youtube, encourages viewers to donate $11 (or greater amounts in multiples of 1, e.g., $111 or $1,111) in honor of Charley Seckler’s birthday this coming Friday to help Charley’s Fund finish what it started eight years ago when Charley was diagnosed at age three with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Charley’s Fund, the nonprofit foundation that bears his name, is betting on the ones that this unprecedented numerological alignment will strike home with people who want to see something special happen before the day is done.

Duchenne is an aggressive, muscle-wasting disease that is currently 100% fatal.  But for the first time ever in the history of this horrendous disease, new treatments are being developed.   Charley’s Fund has invested $18 million into medical research over the past seven years to hurry these new medicines along. Those investments are now bearing fruit. The first therapy the foundation supported is now in phase 3 clinical trials. Data released so far show that the drug is helping to stabilize muscles in kids with Duchenne. Other new treatments expedited by Charley’s Fund are entering human clinical trials. This is a historic leap forward in the fight against a disease that has challenged scientists for decades.

“The progress is truly historic,” says Benjamin Seckler, President of Charley’s Fund and Charley’s father. “We are no longer searching for a cure. We know what needs to be done. We need funds to move as quickly as possible through the expensive steps of drug development. Charley is counting on us to keep him on his feet, and we will not let him down. All I want to give my son on this special birthday is the gift of life.”

Visit Charley’s Fund to learn more about how you can help celebrate Charley’s big birthday.

 

 

 

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