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Football Helps to Fight to End Duchenne By Courtney Garloff, Print Editor
For one weekend in September over 500 schools and their football teams will join together to fight a common and fatal enemy: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. High schools, colleges and universities across the country will unite to support Coach to Cure Muscular Dystrophy Sept. 27 and 28. Duchenne is a specific form of muscular dystrophy, a muscle wasting disease, that affects young boys. “Muscular Dystrophy is the big umbrella title, the big disease, like cancer is, while Duchenne is the specific type,” said Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy Parent Advocate Perlita Hains. On Saturday, Sept. 28 when the football team faces Wilkes University at 1 p.m. on Mangelsdorf Field, spectators will have the opportunity before, during and after the game to donate to Duchenne research and to find a cure for the disease. This year marks the sixth for the Coach to Cure games across the country. All games will happen on the same day, either Friday night for high schools or Saturday for colleges and universities. Penn State University, Lycoming College, Albright College, and Auburn University are just some of the other schools participating in this year’s event. All students, staff and family who wish to donate can text “cure” to the number 9099, and a $5 donation charge will be added to their next phone bill. Donors don’t have to attend the game that day - just text message or go online to donate. “It’s a great and easy way to donate. Almost everyone has a cellphone and the entire $5 donation
goes towards Duchenne research,” said Hains. The Coach to Cure games were started by a woman whose son was diagnosed with Duchenne and wanted to raise money through
“On that day you will see coaches from all over the country on TV. They will all be wearing the same Coach to Cure patch to show their support,” said Hains. Over the past five years the
charity devoted exclusively to help find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. To become a Coach to Cure game, all a school has to do is sign up. This is Misericordia’s first year.
The official logo for the Coach to Cure MD organization. The game is scheduled for Sept. 28 at home on Mangelsdorf Field at 1 p.m. the game her son loved, football. With help from her football coach brother, they started hosting a game to raise money and awareness for Duchenne. Last year over 10,000 college coaches and a record-setting 580 institutions from across the nation joined the fight against Duchenne, according to CoachToCureMD.org.
Coach to Cure games have raised over $1 million for Duchenne research. Coach to Cure is a partnership between the American Football Coaches Association, a professional organization for over 10,000 college football coaches and staff, and the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, a parent run organization, the largest national
“This is the cause that college coaches have chosen to take under their wing,” said Hains. Cheerleaders are also getting involved by carrying cans and asking around for donations from spectators. “It always feels good to help out people and help raise money for charity,” said sophomore physical therapy major and cheerleader
Kelly Keener. “I know people who are affected by MD, so knowing how this will help a lot of people really makes it worth it,” said Keener. Hains’s seven-year-old son Levi has been battling Duchenne since he was two. “He is the sweetest little guy and melts the hearts of everyone he meets,” said Hains. “Over time Levi’s muscles will waste away, and your heart is a muscle and it will affect his heart.” According to The Mayo Clinic, Muscular Dystrophy is a group of genetic diseases in which muscle fibers are unusually susceptible to damage and breakage, and wear over time. These damaged muscles become progressively weaker. There are 40 different types of Muscular Dystrophy, and Duchenne is the most severe form. The disease affects one in every 3,500 boys. Over 20,000 boys nationwide are currently living with the disease, according to CureDuchenne.org. Most boys affected by Duchenne have to be in a wheelchair between ages eight and 12. Duchenne has a 100% fatality rate and is typically diagnosed in boys ages three to seven. Even simple things like playing outside, walking and eating become increasingly more difficult as the disease worsens. “When Levi runs around his little muscles are deteriorating at an alarming rate,” said Hains. Because Duchenne is a muscle destroying disease, those who have it can appear to be normal little boys, but inside they are not. “He may look normal on the outside but his muscles are not. They are far from normal,” said Hains. garloffc@misericordia.edu
Viewfinder: Cougars vs. Red Devils in Freedom Opener
Clockwise, dribbling down the field, sophomore Chelsea Lahr maintains possession for the Cougars. The game against Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham was played on Mangelsdorf Field Sept. 16. Running towards the ball, sophomore Allie Elmes looks to make a play down the field. The team is 1-6 for the 2013-2014 season, after a win against Keystone College. Last season the team finished with a 4-15 record. Keeping the ball away from an opponent, junior Danika Watto looks to pass the ball up the field. The Red Devils defeated the Cougars 3-2 during this match. The field hockey team’s next game will be against Haverford College on Sept. 25 at home on Mangelsdorf Field at 4:00 p.m.
CALLEN CLARK/THE HIGHLANDER
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LOANS, CONTINUED
Continued from page 1 postulating as to why the Senate would want to keep the change from happening. “I think the primary reason was financial in nature. How would they pay for the program if the interest rate was lower than they thought reasonable or acceptable? That, actually, is a part of the agreement. They debated ’how do we pay for this if we allow the rate to stay where it is?’ and they agreed that the cost of keeping the rate low would be offset by closing some tax loopholes for energy companies,” said Dessoye. While that’s good news, it comes with a caveat: Because student loan interest rates are tied to the treasury, certain events could make the rates go up even higher than they were before. If the US economy were to take a hit because of something like war, students could be worse off. Sophomore Jacob Honoosic has mixed feelings on what this could mean for students. “With the loan rates getting locked in at any one time it can either be a blessing or a curse for someone. If you happen to be lucky enough to get locked in during a lower year, then no matter how much it goes up you’re locked in at three, four percent. If you take out a loan where the rate is at the cap, then you’re stuck paying that insane interest rate for the rest of that loan’s life,” said Honoosic. He said even though he is starting his sophomore year, he’s worried about what the future may hold in regards to the cost for borrowing for school. He is concerned about his ability to pay back his loans after he graduates, based on the economic climate at that time. While he is in a good position right now that could change at any time. “I know that I’m going to have to have a job set up after I leave here, because six months after I graduate people are going to be knocking on my door asking where the loan money is. And yeah, I got lucky with a low rate this year, but what about next year and after that? Am I going to be able to cover that cost?” Honoosic said. He said there are strategies he will use to increase the likelihood that he will be employed shortly after graduation, but the thought of not being able to pay his bills when the time comes is a still nagging fear. “If the cards don’t come out, and I don’t get one [job] maybe even a year after graduating I’m going to have people calling for loans that I’m not going to be able to pay. I would have no real assets that I could liquidate, and I don’t even know how I would go bankrupt if I have nothing to go bankrupt on,” Honoosic said. Borrowers are prevented by law from discharging student loan debt through bankruptcy. clarkc4@misericordia.edu