AUSTIN, TX – June 18, 2010 – Today, University of Texas, Austin, head football coach Mack Brown and his wife Sally will present CureDuchenne, a national 501(c)3 dedicated to raising funds and awareness in the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), with a check for $165,000 to celebrate the success of the 2010 Dealing for Duchenne poker tournament. The tournament, hosted by the Browns, brought together Texas football royalty, including two Heisman trophy winners, Ricky Williams and Earl Campbell, and a host of other athletes and celebrities dedicated to raising awareness and funds in the fight against DMD. The check presentation will take place today at 10:30 AM at Russell’s Bakery on 38th Street in Austin.
“Supporting CureDuchenne is one of my wife and I’s great honors,” said Brown. “CureDuchenne is an organization that we can get behind because it is focused on finding a cure in this lifetime of boys with DMD. Every day, I work with young men in the prime of their lives at the peak of their physical ability and it devastates me to think that many boys with DMD won’t live to see their 20s, much less play college football. Hosting Dealing for Duchenne is the least we can do.”
As the leading genetic killer of young boys, DMD affects more than 1 in 3,500 boys worldwide and is the most common and lethal form of Muscular Dystrophy. Boys with DMD are usually diagnosed by the age of five, in a wheelchair by age 12, and may be completely paralyzed by their late teens. Historically, most patients with DMD do not live to see adulthood. Duchenne can occur in any family, from any race and from any background.
This year was the first year of the event was held at the University of Texas Golf Club. Over 350 people joined CureDuchenne and enjoyed the music of Larry Gatlin and Asleep at the Wheel and had the opportunity to mingle with current and past Texas Longhorn football players.