MDA is a wonderful Association that helps kids such as me in a variety of ways. Their most prominent program is their annual MDA Summer Camp, held the first week of June in Brandon, FL.

Although I am now too old to attend the camp (I'm 18 and will soon be starting college) I had the opportunity to attend for 6 years, starting in 7th grade.

As a shy 13 year-old, I was very much in my shell, and petrified to meet new people. I clung to my counselor, Deana, and hoped to survive the social interactions I would face.  However, it's amazing how far I came in that first year alone. In an environment where every kid was the same as me, I had nothing to be worried about! No one would stare at my walk, and no one would force me to do anything I didn't want to do.

Every activity was created for kids with muscular dystrophy, so much of the anxiety I faced in the real world, was eliminated. We talked, we did arts and crafts, we ate ice cream, we went fishing, and we even had a dance at the end of the week!  MDA camp was the first and only place I've ever really felt normal, and to this day, I still wish I could go back.

I did return on visitor's day of this past year, but absolutely nothing can compare to being on the grounds with Deana and all of my friends.

However, Camp is just one of the great things that MDA does for its beneficiaries. They also provide clinics just for kids with neuromuscular diseases; they provide flu shots, and even help fund wheelchairs and other medical equipment, for those who need them.

I have always been able to walk, but now that I am going to college, I need a wheelchair to navigate the great distances at USF.  Thankfully, MDA is contributing $2000 towards the purchase of my new chair, and will continue to aid in any repairs I may need.

Thanks to the research they fund, and through events like the Bike Challenge, MDA is sure to find a cure for all the kids and even adults who live with muscular dystrophy.

So if you've never heard of MDA before, this is exactly who they are and what they do. They help kids with neuromuscular diseases to function and develop as a "normal" person would, and there's not much better than that!

I've always appreciated what they have done for me, and I hope you will help them, so they can continue helping others!

Thank you,
Krista Fincke