Sep 08 2008
Darius Goes West
There are many reasons why people have to use wheelchairs. Spinal cord injuries, head injuries, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy; the list goes on. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is one of the conditions on that list. A genetic condition that almost exclusively afflicts boys, Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common and most severe form. With an onset between infancy and the age of 6, it causes the muscles to waste away, weakening the child to the point where they need a wheelchair by the age of 12. It is usually fatal by the age of 20.
Darius Weems, the star of the multiple award-winning documentary Darius Goes West, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy. He is 19 years old, the same age his brother Mario was when he died of the same condition. With Darius Goes West, he has a chance to leave behind more than a brilliant and moving documentary. He has the chance to leave a great legacy.
Scientists know what causes Duchenne, and research into a cure is progressing. According to the scientists interviewed for Darius Goes West, the cure will come within our lifetime, but as with all research, money is the key. The 12-man crew responsible for Darius Goes West are trying to raise an amount of money that might put scientists well within reach of that goal.
The documentary, filmed four years ago when Darius was 15, was originally made by its young 12-man crew to document Darius’ first trip out of Athens, a road trip that would take him right across the US. There were two goals: to assess how wheelchair accessible the US really is, and to get Darius’ wheelchair ‘pimped’ on MTV’s Pimp My Ride. Now, in 2008, it has a new goal.
A copy of Darius Goes West costs $20. In the next 12 months, the money from every single copy that is sold will be split two ways: $17 will go to Duchenne muscular dystrophy research, and $3 will go to making new DVDs. Darius and the 11 other crew members have set themselves the task of selling one million copies in one year: that is a potential $17 million for research into this 100% fatal disease. If you buy the DVD, you not only get an amazing, moving documentary, you are contributing to a wonderful cause. There is no distributor; you can buy the DVD here.
This is the trailer for the documentary and the advertisement for the project, titled Darius Goes West: The Vehicle. It will be YouTube’s featured video later this month.
Darius Goes West is a more than just an award-winning documentary; it is a labor of love, and it is a great opportunity to do something that might make a difference to one section of the wheelchair-using population. Watch the trailer here, watch it on YouTube, share it with friends, and, if you can, think about supporting this great cause.
Further links:
Scenes from Darius’ graduation ceremony intercut with scenes from the movie. Call me soft, but I have cried every time I’ve watched this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf0h8UpK_Y0
Once again, the Darius Goes West web site:
http://www.dariusgoeswest.org/
and the Darius Goes West online store:
http://www.dariusgoesweststore.com/home.php
5 Responses to “Darius Goes West”
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You are most surely right - this is a cause worth believing in, especially with all the progress that has been made. And many cheers to Darius for having such a noble spirit.
hello, i got to your site through kalilea’s site. thanks for sharing this. it’s really a good cause and especially that there is progress now, like what the video said, it is not a trailer but a vehicle towards the finding of the cure. hope Darius gets his goal for the benefit of all other kids who suffer from the same disease.
Hello, like Betchai, I found out about your site through Kalilea… This kind of cause is worth spreading around. Some people are lucky to be able to walk, play, work and enjoy the world and I am lucky enough to be able to do just that but for Darius and all others who have the disease it’s frustrating. And the least I could do to help is to spread the word.
Kalilea: Well said. The lad is going to leave behind a legacy that will benefit so many people. And thanks again for linking to this post.
Betchai: I hope so too. I believe in what these lads are doing, and I want with all my heart to see them succeed. Thanks for dropping by.
Timecapsule: Thanks to you too for dropping by. Hopefully we can all get the word out there and really help.
Michelle: Whenever you have time is fine! Love, luck and health to you and the kids.