The body can wilt, but the spirit is unbreakable

Modern medicine has made incredible leaps in decades gone by but some diseases continue to defy the scientists. Offering support to those with one such disease is the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation, which held its appreciation day on Saturday, 16 November.

Coinciding with the following day’s Ride Joburg cycle race, the event aimed to thank the Muscle Riders and wish them well for the race. Business Development Manager and Fundraiser, Robert Scott, began the day with a few words of praise before handing out certificates to the young Muscle Riders who completed their ride for charity a week earlier.

Muscle Riders ride for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation as fundraisers for the Gauteng centre. There are also branches in Durban and Cape Town with the national office being based at the Roodepoort facility. National General Manager, Gerda Brown, suffers from the disease. She was diagnosed at the age of 16, but is still going strong at 50, showing the strength of spirit that cannot be defeated by a medical diagnosis.

Rabana Modisane, General Manager of the centre since July this year, elaborated on its scope. “We operate with four social workers and aim to to create a socially supportive environment for sufferers of muscular dystrophy. We also aim to provide assistance in acquiring wheelchairs for sufferers”.

Muscular dystrophy affects people of all ages and both sexes, and with both young children and adults taking up the fight to “ride for those who can’t”, the hope is that soon a breakthrough in the treatment of this neurological affliction will be made.