Hello family, friends, neighbors, aquaintances, and strangers. Once again, we are asking for your kind, and generous donations in honor of our 12 year old son, Zachary. Zack has been using a wheelchair for over a year now, full time. As most of you know he does not walk, due to a progressive muscle disease that will eventually attack all his his muscles including his heart and lung functions, called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). There is no known cure and little treatment available to DMD children. You see, according to statistics, DMD supposedly will take our boy's life before his 20th birthday. This is UNACCEPTABLE to our family!
Since we are not willing to lay down and wait for the statistics, we are going to change them! This is one way we have chosen to make a difference in the DMD commmunity, with Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy at the helm. Two years ago, Kevin and I (Jackie), Zack's parents; ran a Half Marathon (13.1 miles). Last year I stuck with the Half Marathon again, but Kevin chose the Full Marathon (26.2 miles), "More Miles Means More Money", was his motto and still is. This year once again, I will do the Walt Disney World Half Marathon, but Kevin will run the Half on Saturday and the Full Marathon on Sunday, that's 40 miles! Most of you are tired after driving 40 miles. You see I do what I feel I physically can and still be around to raise our kids, but Kevin will take it far beyond. He finds the strength that Zachary inspires in us all everyday, and fuels his run for a cure. Kevin says he hopes one day to be half the man his son already is. He refuses to allow Zachary to be excluded in anything Zachary wants to do. God forbid, if Zachary wants to climb a mountain, trust me Kevin will have him on his back and they will climb it together.
Zachary just started 7th grade at a new school, he's smart and funny and one day wants to make movies like is idol, George Lucas. We have learned to take one day at a time and live life to the fullest. There are 3 very promising new treatments on the horizion. One of those will start stage 3 trials in January! We need your help to end this disease, so no more boys have to suffer. This year we have the ability to choose exactly where our fundraising monies will go, we have accepted that treatment must come first to slow the fast pace down and buy Zachary time. A cure will come shortly after treatment. We have to accept one thing at a time. A cure is the absolute goal, but time is of the utmost urgency and we must buy some with your help.
Thank you for visiting our Personal Fundraising Page. Donating through this site is simple, fast, and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to our fundraising efforts. Many thanks for your support...And please don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too.
The easiest way is to donate online, but we realize some of you may not be comfortable doing that, therefore you may send us a check. Please make it out to PPMD , but mail it to our home address. We will see it goes directly into the fundraising efforts of Kevin and I, in honor of Zachary. If you choose the check or money order method, please mail it to:
Kevin and Jackie Smith
4412 Gentrice Drive
Valrico, FL 33594
Remember to make it out to PPMD. Any questions, please call us anytime 813-681-6637. Thank you all in advance for your kind, generous donations. If we sound desperate for money, we are, this is our SON we are talking about! I know some of you give on a monthly or yearly basis, but a one time pledge to our fundraising page will make that much more of a difference in Zachary' time with us. "More Miles, More Money"! We are giving Zachary and PPMD a total of 53.4 miles in a two day weekend, now what can YOU do for Zachary and PPMD?!
All our best,
Kevin, Jackie, Zachary, and Raegan Smith