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Two businessmen to walk 25 miles for muscular dystrophy
Through the years, James Tauss, of Leesburg, has watched his son, Andrew, advance from kindergarten to eighth grade and from the monkey bars to sports. From a distance, Tauss also has watched Nick Harman, a classmate of Andrew's since kindergarten, go from walking with a limp to sitting in a wheelchair.
Nick, also of Leesburg, has muscular dystrophy -- a neurological disease that degenerates a person's muscles. According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, there are nine types of muscular dystrophy that vary in onset and severity. While some appear later in life or progress slowly over 30 to 40 years, a more severe form can appear in children between ages 2 and 6. In these cases, survival past 30 years is rare.
“As a father, I cannot comprehend it,” Tauss said.
So Tauss, a businessman and entrepreneur, and another businessman, Ben Doyle, of Alexandria, decided to do what they could to help.
Tauss and Doyle are partnering with the Muscular Dystrophy Association to walk 25 miles down the Washington and Old Dominion Trail on Oct. 12. The event marks the first walk in the Washington, D.C., area to benefit victims of muscular dystrophy, said Kara Kelch, a program coordinator for MDA.
The two men have organized benefits before, and “we had talked about walking across the county before -- well, maybe the W&OD trail,” Tauss said. They just never had a good reason to.
But after seeing Nick and the effects muscular dystrophy has on children, they found their reason.
According to MDA, about 250,000 Americans have a form of muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that primarily affects voluntary muscles.
“Muscular dystrophy is very in-your-face,” Kelch said. “Kids go from walking, to being in a wheelchair, then their voice starts to change as the muscles in their vocal chords go. The last thing it affects is your brain.”
The money Tauss and Doyle raise will go to MDA who will use it to help provide equipment to children with muscular dystrophy, send them to summer camp, fund support group sessions, research and medical needs.
“The need is huge,” Kelch said.” ... One power wheelchair is $40,000.”
The MDA has local events and fundraisers, but “we've never had anyone volunteer to do something like this before,” Kelch said.
Tauss said he and Doyle have raised about $1,000 and hope to bring in more -- even if it may be “just a drop in the bucket.”
But no matter how many donations they bring in, they will be walking their 25 miles.
“We're doing this walk because these kids can't,” Tauss said.
To find out how to donate, e-mail Tauss at milesofmiracles@gmail.com.
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