Letter to the Editor: Florida Declares August as Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month

Dear Editor:

I am pleased to announce that the State of Florida has officially proclaimed August as both Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month and Light It Up Green Month.

Florida joins Pennsylvania and Colorado this year in recognizing all 9 muscular dystrophies and 43 neuro-muscular disorders with their own month. This has never been accomplished before, and I look forward to pushing it to go National in 2015. I also look forward to bigger things as well in 2015. But for now we shall celebrate this wonderful event for all its worth!

Light It Up Green is the national campaign to call attention to muscular dystrophy and neuro-muscular disorders through the dramatic use of lime green, the official color used to symbolize muscular dystrophy.

To understand why I created Light It Up Green, just meet my inspiration, David, my 20 year old vivacious, full of personality, amazing, failure-is-not-an-option second year college student who happens to have Duchenne, one of the most common and destructive types of muscular dystrophy.  When David learned that Florida issued the proclamation he said, "Yeah, Mom, that's crazy!" LOL- David is a man of few words.

I admit that I am one Happy Mom to accomplish something so big as this for a kid (David) who brings me so much joy and for the many, many families who need and deserve this.

I would like to take this time to thank Governor Rick Scott and his staff for preparing and signing the proclamation to make it official.  I also have to acknowledge one person without whom none of this would be possible, Ms. Stephanie Glavin, as well as our local MDA staff for their support and being my cheering section in this endeavor!

I would also like to encourage everyone to join Light It Up Green in spreading awareness of muscular dystrophy by changing their social media profiles green.  By working together, we can find better preventions, treatments, and someday, even a cure.

Thank you,

Nadine Kirby, Founder
Light It Up Green
Lake Worth, FL