While the Rotary year is almost at its end, President Jugdis Bundhoo and his team are busy investing themselves in projects that needs our attention and support. A Charity Walk is being organized in Vacoas on 17 June to rains funds for a few very interesting projects.

For many of us, life has been kind.  We have the good fortune of celebrating Divali, Eid, Christmas and other festive occasions. And we are hopeful that many more will come.  Our greatest joys are to see our children succeed in their studies, learn a trade or a profession, start a family and be grandparents.  Although we are conscious that at the end, death will prevail, it is often far away from our mind, as we are blessed with a normal life.

However, for a few of our brothers, life is extremely challenging. They are the victims of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic disease which affects mostly boys and causes progressive muscular wasting and weakness.  The child develops the first sign of difficulty in walking at the age of 3 to 6 years.  Deformity ensues as his spine curves inward. By age ten, the child loses the ability to get up from a chair, floor or climb stairs. By age eleven, he cannot walk and by age twelve, he requires a wheel chair full time. In the teen years, loss of respiratory muscle power and cardiac complications due to damage to the heart muscle are the primary threats to health and life. Unfortunately, no cure has yet been discovered. And generally, the boys live till their twentieth birthday.  Since muscular dystrophy does not affect nerves directly, the boys retain normal sensations from touch and other senses.

Confronted with the daunting complications that enfold and the inevitable short life span, parents are faced with the challenge of providing a decent quality of life to the child, while holding the family together.  The tasks require medical attention, emotional support and financial needs. Over 41 children are known to suffer from muscular dystrophy in Mauritius.