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Welcome to Dake's Blog

This blog is designed to give you updates on Dake as he enters his journey to Johns Hopkins/Kennedy Krieger Institue Center in Baltimore, Maryland. This is a clinical trial in research focusing on the heart of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patients. This is not a treatment, it is research. Dake chose to participate in hopes for himself and for those who unfortunately follow behind him.



I will also share a little into our lives. Dake wants his story told....



The good, the bad and the ugly......

For more information on the research at Johns Hopkins on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy scroll to bottom of the blog.



Sunday, June 26, 2011

A Blast From The Past

      We heard from someone in our past yesterday. We got a comment on the blog from a wonderful young man who made an amazing sacrifice for Dake and our family at a young age. Shane Basham at age 14 took a brave step to help someone else. 

In 1992, Dake was one of 30 boys to join a research group for Myoblast Transfer. ( a muscle transfer). The best candidate for a donor is a family male member between the ages 10 to 18. We thought we had a candiate with David's second cousin, Bobby Edde. He went through the painful process of becoming a donor before he was eliminated. We still consider him an honorary donor for his sacrifice and willingness to go through the pain to help. We had exhausted all the males in the family and we had no match. Our first donor went to college with my cousin, Chris Harris at Freed Hardeman University in Hendersonvile Tennessee. Christopher Calendine was a senior and friend of my cousin.  My cousin had told our story. Although Christopher was a little out of the age range he was still able to donate his muscle tissue because he was faithful with his physical fitness. Today, Dake is thankful to carry part of Christopher's muscle tissue with him. Today Christopher Calendine is a pediatrician in Rogersville, Tn.
Shane Basham was a volunteer for the second part of the research. He went in at the young age of 14 and went through the painful process of donating muscle tissue for Dake. Unfortunately we did not get to use Shane's donation because of the disaster of the research doctor's actions. We pulled out. The doctor soon after left the country.

We are so thankful and in awe of these young men to make such an unselfish sacrifice to Dake and our family. We will forever be grateful for their willingness to take on this challenge.


We are so thankful God has put such amazing men in the path of our lives.

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