Darius Meets Evan

We have been promising the boys one last trip to the beach before winter, (for the past several weeks now)! Last week was a rainout, so we ended up finally going this past Saturday, Sept 27th. We went to our favorite, Fernandina Beach, on Amelia Island. As coincidence would have it, that also happened to be the day and location that Darius Goes West was being screened at the annual film festival.

After a full day at the beach, we went to the historic district, found the theatre, and sure enough, met the film's cast and crew. They are a wonderful group of guys. Words to describe them are: positive, intelligent, energetic, talented, driven, funny, and caring.

Evan is shy. The last place he would ever feel comfortable would be in a strange building surrounded by people and cameras. But in this instance, he was completely at ease. The guys really got to see the real Evan. They know how to relate to little kids. While Evan and Billy were playing with their pirate flag, Darius came over and hung out with us. Darius has a very warm, kind manner. He also has a very powerful energy to him. He reminds us of Muhammed Ali for some reason. Watching him watch Evan and interact with him, was very emotional for us.

Saturday also happened to be Darius' 19th birthday. We were honored to be a part of such a significant event. In the film, Darius was just turning 15. We could hardly believe that 4 years later to the day, we were singing happy birthday to him.

You know, we have been planning their screening for quite some time now. But it wasn't until the other night that we gained the emotional nerve to actually watch the film. Although we know as much of the details that ever could be known about DMD, we were still afraid to watch...not sure what we were afraid of. Maybe seeing it in more of a real life setting than in clinical terms. Anyway, we are so glad we finally saw the film. We actually laughed more than we cried....Actually, it was one of those laugh/cry things where you're not really sure whether you are happy or sad! Yes, it is a very tragic diagnosis. But the film is done in such a way that you feel more hopeful and ready to continue the fight, than anything. Please go to www.DariusGoesWest.org and buy a dvd. 17 out of the 20 dollars will go to the labs to speed clinical trials, and get these treatments to the kids.

These guys are soldiers. They are out there 24/7 working to save our son's life. Thank you Darius (and Mario) for changing the world. Thank you Logan Smalley. Thanks to all of the guys. Thanks to all of the parent - run organizations, (Cure Duchenne, Parent Project, Charley's Fund, Action Duchenne UK, etc), that are directing money straight to the hands of scientists to actually stop this disease as quickly as possible.