I'm pumped up about the MDA Muscle Walk.
Meet P.J. O?Grady-Graham of PJ?s All Stars!
This eleven year old is a fan of video games, chess, Boys Scouts, acting and singing! PJ also has lots of pets: three cats named Gromit, Wallace and Molly, a dog named Murphy, Spuds the tortoise, Froggy the toad, Newty the newt, Beta the fish, Kinderfrog the frog (his brother got him in kindergarten three years ago)and 4 more Pacific Tree frogs that have no name.
Before PJ was diagnosed with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy type 2D in September of 2010, his limitations weren?t understood. ?Before I got diagnosed my family thought I was just lazy and were trying to make me do things that I can't do. Now they understand and only make me do things I can do?. PJ?s family is very supportive in adapting to PJ?s needs. His grandma put in an elevator in her house and PJ?s family moved to a new house because their old house had too many stairs. PJ and his family are also training their dog to be a service dog!
PJ uses a motorized scooter at school, an all-terrain wheelchair for activities like Boy Scouts, a regular wheelchair for long distances and a reacher to pick up things off the ground. Even with equipment to make the world more accessible, PJ copes with many challenges on a daily basis. The most difficult thing for PJ is being different from the other kids at school.
?I am not able to participate like other kids in gym class. Last year when I did not have my scooter I fell sometimes and I could barely get up on my own. This year I need something to lean on to get up and even then I might need someone to help lift me up. Another difficulty is not being able to run. This means that I cannot keep up with my friends at recess or play on an actual sports team. I also have to use the elevator to get up to the second floor at school. Everybody asks me why I have the scooter and since I am shy I do not like to have to answer everybody.?
PJ?s disease may present many challenges for him, but this sixth grader has wonderful plans for his future. He hopes to become an engineer and to design more comfortable and easy to use wheelchairs that can be used on commercial planes, or wheelchairs that can go up stairs.
When asked if he had anything else he would like to share with the MDA community, PJ wanted to say?thanks to my mom dad for support and the MDA for the equipment I need and my class at school for understanding.? Here at MDA, we just want to say thank you to PJ for sharing his story, for fighting back against his disease, and for being a wonderful example for other kids living with a diagnosis. THANK YOU, PJ and the whole O?Grady-Graham family!
Every donation made from today until January 1 will be DOUBLED by two of our new Muscle Walk partners. Between now and New Year's Day, Bodybuilding.com and Pride Mobility will match any gift that you give, dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000.
Help me cross the Muscle Walk finish line and FINISH STRONG! Join me at the Muscle Walk and we?ll have a great time for a great cause. Better yet, make a donation today, and help me reach my fundraising goal to help support the families who depend on MDA. Together, we grow stronger.
Make a Muscle. Make a Difference.®
