Christine Winslow is on a mission to raise awareness about Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare disease that her son Jason has been diagnosed with.
Randburg, South Africa (23 February 2022) – 15-year-old Jason Winslow was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in July of 2013 after years of going from doctor to doctor, to find a diagnosis. By the age of 11, he was wheelchair-bound and totally reliant on his mom, Christine, to get around. While Jason’s diagnosis was heartbreaking, Christine has made it her mission to raise awareness about the disease and give Jason the best life.
Aside from his DMD diagnosis, Jason is also on the autism spectrum. He may face many challenges but with the support from his mom, dad, family and an army of incredible supporters, he faces each day with a smile.
The family are hopeful and positive that there will be a cure for Duchenne’s one day. To make sure that happens, awareness is key.
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a rare disease that most commonly affects boys. It starts from as young as four and presents first as muscle weakness which progresses quite aggressively from there. The thighs and pelvis are typically the first to show signs of major weakness and then the arms follow. By the age of 11 or 12, a child will typically become reliant on a wheelchair full-time.
Sadly, there is no cure for the rare disease yet but there is hope. There are new gene therapies being tested that could be the answer that DMD families have been waiting for. With proper medical support and care, a child diagnosed with DMD can live a moderately long life.
Jason’s Journey
The ability to make a person smile is one of the greatest gifts you can give to another person. This is a key part of Jason’s character. He loves to make people laugh and smile and when we asked him what he loves most in life, he wittingly responded, “girls and Rocomammas!”.
His laugh is infectious and he loves to tell people he is getting married and moving out when he is 18, before cracking up in giggles at the idea of being free from Christine’s excellent mothering.
Jason has a real taste for life and cars are just about his favourite topic. When driving along, he can tell you about each car that passes by. Jason still has so much life to live and he plans to do it while raising awareness about the disease in South Africa.
Christine and Jason hope that by sharing their story, they will continue to raise awareness and hopefully help other families spot the early signs of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. You can follow Jason’s Journey via Facebook here.
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