About Duchenne

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness. It is caused by mutations in the DMD gene on the X chromosome. Because of this, boys who inherit the mutated gene will develop the disease, while girls are typically carriers. Duchenne affects all muscles in the body, not only skeletal muscles, but also those of the heart and lungs. As depicted in Breakfall, symptoms often begin in early childhood, with delayed walking, toe-walking, and frequent falls. Over time, boys with Duchenne lose the ability to walk and become reliant on a wheelchair. Eventually, by the third or fourth decade of life, the disease leads to respiratory and cardiac failure.

While recent advancements with exon skipping and gene therapies have been made, there remains no definitive cure, and the road for those with Duchenne is hard and brief. A journey marked by continuous decline—losing the ability to change their clothes, lift a glass of water, or speak, chew, and swallow. With your purchase of Breakfall, you will be helping Jett Foundation, a leading charitable organization that fights Duchenne at every stage of the disease.