FINN, living with Duchenne,
and his family.
Resources and Support
Finding Support
Often, speaking with someone who “gets it”—someone who can relate to exactly what you are going through—can provide a renewed sense of energy and hope to move forward. Many Duchenne patients and families have found support and have made lifelong friendships by connecting with those who are facing similar experiences: the Duchenne community.
This unique group of individuals includes multidisciplinary care teams, patient advocacy groups, other Duchenne patients and families, and genetic testing and counseling program professionals.
Accepting Support
For Kenan, being independent is about doing things on his own, but sometimes that means asking for help. Learn how his family and friends help him maintain his independence.
Multidisciplinary Care
Your child's team of healthcare professionals will be there to partner with you and your family every step of the way. A multidisciplinary Duchenne care team may include numerous people, each specializing in different areas. Your child's care team will be structured to your family's needs and is typically led by a neuromuscular specialist.
A Duchenne team of healthcare professionals may include:
SareptAssist
SareptAssist is a personalized support program to guide you through your treatment journey. We can help you:
- Understand the requirements for treatment
- Consider financial assistance options
- Explore your insurance benefits
- Prepare for treatment
- Find helpful resources
SareptAssist is here to help.
SareptAssist is available to Duchenne families in the U.S. and pertains to Sarepta-approved therapies.
Check out the SareptaCircle
Video Library
Meet Our Engagers
Our Engagers tell honest stories of hope and adaptation from the perspectives of people and families who truly know what it means to live with Duchenne. Tune in to hear unique voices and perspectives of people sharing their personal experiences related to Duchenne.
Genetic Counseling and Assistance
Genetic counseling helps patients and caregivers understand genetic testing results and plan for the future.
Sarepta Therapeutics partners with Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) and Decode Duchenne, a genetic testing program that provides free genetic testing to patients who have been unable to access testing due to financial barriers.
Community Resources
Who to Ask for Help?
Genetics Home Reference
An online resource from the National Institutes of Health. The website provides easy-to-understand information about genetic conditions and a range of topics. You'll find basic explanations of how genes work and how mutations cause disorders. It also includes current information about genetic testing, gene therapy, and the Human Genome Project.
National Society of Genetic Counselors
Provides a helpful, easy-to-use online directory to help connect physicians, patients, and other genetic counselors. Search by state, city, counselor's name, institution, work setting, type of specialty, or zip code.
Decode Duchenne
Provides free genetic testing, interpretation, and counseling to people with Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy who meet certain eligibility criteria and who have been unable to access genetic testing in the past due to financial barriers, such as cost or lack of insurance coverage. Decode Duchenne is administered by DuchenneConnect, a program of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy.
The Duchenne Registry
A comprehensive registry that connects the entire Duchenne community. This central hub brings together those living with the disease, along with their families, friends, and caregivers—and connects them with medical research, clinical care, clinical trials, and each other. The Duchenne Registry is a program of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy.
TREAT-NMD
A network for the neuromuscular field that provides an infrastructure to ensure that the most promising new therapies reach patients as quickly as possible. Its focus is on the development of tools that industry, clinicians, and scientists need to bring novel therapeutic approaches through preclinical development and into the clinic, and on establishing best-practice care for neuromuscular patients worldwide.
ClinicalTrials.gov
An online database of publicly and privately supported clinical studies conducted around the world. ClinicalTrials.gov currently lists hundreds of thousands of studies with locations in all 50 states and in 191 countries.
ChildMuscleWeakness.org
A website of the National Task Force for Early Identification of Childhood Neuromuscular Disorders. The site provides information and tools to help parents and healthcare professionals identify the early signs of muscle weakness and neuromuscular disease.
Rare Share
A unique social hub building communities for patients, families, and healthcare professionals affected by rare disorders.
Caregiver Action Network (CAN)
The nation's leading family caregiver organization working to improve the quality of life for the more than 90 million Americans who care for loved ones with chronic conditions, disabilities, disease, or the frailties of old age. CAN (formerly the National Family Caregivers Association) is a nonprofit organization providing education, peer support, and resources to family caregivers across the United States free of charge.
Center for Parent Information & Resources
A central resource of information and products for the community of Parent Training Information Centers and the Community Parent Resource Centers so they can focus their efforts on serving families of children with disabilities.
Cyberbullying Research Center
Dedicated to providing up-to-date information about the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying, it is intended to be a resource for parents, educators, law enforcement officers, counselors, and others who work with youth. You will find facts, figures, and detailed stories from those who have been directly affected by online aggression. In addition, the site includes numerous resources to help you prevent and respond to cyberbullying incidents.
Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA)
A community-based nonprofit organization that aims to illuminate caregivers' daily challenges to better the lives of caregivers nationally, provide them the assistance they need, and champion their cause through education, services, research, and advocacy. FCA offers programs at national, state, and local levels to support and sustain caregivers.
Family Voices
Family Voices aims to achieve family-centered care for all children and youth with special healthcare needs and/or disabilities. Throughout their national grassroots network, they provide families resources and support to make informed decisions, advocate for improved public and private policies, build partnerships among families and professionals, and serve as a trusted resource on health care.
Parent to Parent USA
Programs offering parent-to-parent support as a core resource for families with children who have a special health care need, disability, or mental health issue. Through a one-to-one “match,” experienced support parents provide emotional support to families and assist them in finding information and resources.
Sibling Support Project
A national program dedicated to the lifelong and ever-changing concerns of the millions of brothers and sisters of people with special health, developmental and mental health concerns.
Stopbullying.gov
A website providing information from various government agencies on what bullying is, what cyberbullying is, who is at risk, and how you can prevent and respond to bullying.
The Bully Project
Inspired by the award-winning film BULLY, this social action campaign includes tools for educators to spark meaningful conversations about bullying.
The Parent Advocacy Center for Educational Rights (PACER Center)
PACER Center is a parent training and information center for families of children and youth with all disabilities from birth to young adults. Parents can find publications, workshops, and other resources to help make decisions about education, vocational training, employment, and other services for their children with disabilities. PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center provides resources designed to benefit all students, including those with disabilities.
The Washington State Fathers Network (WSFN)
The Washington State Fathers Network (WSFN) connects men with other dads, resources, information, and education, plus opportunities for “all family” celebrations. Focus is on assisting fathers as they become more competent and compassionate caregivers for their children with special needs. WSFN is the only regional program in the US and Canada fully devoted to fathers of children with special health care needs and developmental disabilities. Since 1986 it has opened new doors of hope for thousands of men and their families, providing them with support and resources to be effective, nurturing dads.
Dan and DMD: A Children’s Book on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by Joseph Yasmeh
This book tells the story of Dan, an upbeat boy who was born with Duchenne. It can help parents talk to their children about Duchenne and give friends and peers a better understanding of the condition.
Route 79, The Duchenne Scholarship Program
This Sarepta-sponsored program provides scholarships to help people living with Duchenne achieve their post-high-school educational goals.
Rare Lessons
This program aims to promote rare disease education in the K-12 classroom. It grants monetary awards to educators for winning lesson plans that promote learning about rare diseases and inclusion for people living with them.
Duchenne Map
Provides Duchenne healthcare, clinical trial, and research information in one site to help people with Duchenne structure their own healthcare journey.
ClinicalTrials.gov
An online database of publicly and privately supported clinical studies conducted around the world. ClinicalTrials.gov currently lists hundreds of thousands of studies with locations in all 50 states and in 191 countries.
CureDuchenne
A national nonprofit organization that raises awareness and funds to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The funds raised support the most promising research programs aimed at treating and curing the disease. CureDuchenne Cares provides outreach and education to parents and caregivers, as well as professional training and certification to physical therapists that treat Duchenne patients.
Jett Foundation
The mission of the Jett Foundation is to build awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and fulfill the unmet needs in our community through programming, education, support, and research.
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)
The MDA is leading the fight to free individuals⎯and the families who love them⎯from the harm of muscular dystrophy, ALS and related muscle-debilitating diseases that take away physical strength, independence, and life. The MDA uses its collective strength to help kids and adults live longer and grow stronger by finding research breakthroughs across diseases, caring for individuals from day one and empowering families with services and support in hometowns across America.
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD)
The largest and most comprehensive nonprofit organization in the United States focused on ending Duchenne. Its goal is to accelerate research efforts, catalyze advocacy, demand optimal care for all young men with Duchenne, and educate the global community
Duchenne Family Assistance Program (DFAP)
This collaboration between Team Joseph and Little Hercules Foundation provides personalized assistance to individuals and families affected by Duchenne.
Team Joseph
Team Joseph is a parent-founded organization that funds Duchenne research and the immediate care and medical equipment needs of families living with Duchenne.
Akari Foundation
The mission of the Akari Foundation is to educate, empower & advocate to the Hispanic Immigrant community, help with resources, advocacy & education in rare diseases, specializing in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Patient Education
Aims to advance knowledge, awareness, and education leading to the discovery and clinical application of genetic and cellular therapies to alleviate human disease. Members include scientists, physicians, patient advocates, and other professionals.
Gene Therapy FAQ Videos
In-depth videos from Sarepta on various topics relating to gene therapy, featuring subject matter experts.
National Organization for Rare Disorders
Provides a unified voice for the people who wake up every day to fight the battle with a rare disease, including parents and caregivers.
EveryLife Foundation
The nonprofit organization is committed to empowering patients with rare diseases to advocate for legislation and policies that are science-driven and impactful.
Rare Disease Legislative Advocates
A program of the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases designed to support the advocacy of all rare disease patients and organizations.
Genetic Alliance
A nonprofit health advocacy organization that engages individuals, families, and communities to transform health. They create ways to make it easier to find or build solutions in health services and research.
Global Genes
A rare disease patient advocacy organization that aims to build awareness, educate the global community and provide critical connections and resources that equip advocates to become activists for their disease.
Agency for Healthcare & Research Quality (AHRQ)
Aims to provide evidence to make health care safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable and affordable, and to work with the US Department of Health and Human Services and with other partners to ensure that the evidence is used and understood.
Social Security Administration Compassionate Allowances Program
Provides a way of quickly identifying diseases and other medical conditions that may qualify for financial assistance.
Center on Technology & Disability
Designed to increase the capacity of families and providers to advocate for, acquire, and implement effective assistive and instructional technology practices, devices, and services for those who suffer from disabilities.
National Human Genome Research Institute
Developed with the goal of mapping the human genome, the group provides a list of resources for financial assistance with genetic testing.
National Library of Medicine
Provides guidance on how to find reliable information online regarding human genetics.
Patient Advocate Foundation
Provides professional case management services to individuals facing barriers to healthcare access for chronic and disabling disease, medical debt crisis, and employment-related issues at no cost.