MDF Magazine Issue 62 7 August 2020 (7)

People
Despite the familiar activity, Kade was still in
uncharted territory when it came to fundraising.
Despite this, he committed himself to a $5,000
goal and set about achieving it by constructing
outlines; hiring vendors to help produce videos,
t-shirts and websites; and mapping out timelines.
From there, Kade branched out to share his
story with his church and the larger public. It was
intimidating at first, but Kade learned a lot about
himself and others in the process.
“You have to have confidence in yourself that
you can raise money and also trust in the hearts
of people to care about your cause,” he says.
“As long as I kept my focus on my vision and
message, I found that people were more than
willing to help and get involved.”
His planning, passion and persistence paid off: to
date, Kade has raised $5,900 for MDA. Far from
basking in that achievement, Kade focuses on the
potential for the money.
“Of course, I am very grateful that I reached my
financial goal, but I am just as grateful that people
have taken the time to read about my story and
to understand what the symptoms of early-onset
neuromuscular disease look like,” he says. “Early
intervention could literally save a life and raising
awareness of the signs and symptoms was really
my primary focus. Organizing a fundraiser was the
means to reaching that goal.”
To collect donations, Kade used the MDA Your
Way online fundraising platform, which allows
individuals to organize their own fundraisers for
MDA. Participants have used the tool to collect
donations for MDA in lieu of wedding gifts or
anniversary presents and organize cross-country
bike treks or hikes across Europe. Kade’s
fundraiser is among the top five most successful
campaigns.
Once the fundraising mechanism was in place,
the next order of business was to share his story,
something that Kade had been reluctant to do.
He started with an important audience: his school
community.
“I had allowed myself many months of privately
living with my story and sharing it one on one.
Each of those interactions built my confidence
and helped me to frame how I wanted to share
it with others,” he says. “So, by the time the day
came for the school assembly for me to share my
testimony, I had a really good sense of what I
should say and how I should say it. I think it was
shocking and scary for many of the students to
hear my story, but in time they have come to have
a better understanding that while I may have this
disease, I am still the same person.”
Kade is looking forward to seeing his efforts
come to fruition this Saturday, April 22 (registration
is still open, and Kade is accepting donations
through the end of May). But his involvement with
MDA is something he is committed to long-term. In
the fall, he will join the Honors Program at UMASS
Lowell and major in biomedical engineering.
“The MDA of Massachusetts actually has a
chapter on the campus, and I plan to get involved
in that chapter and see what opportunities there
are for me to continue spreading awareness about
neuromuscular disease,” Kade says. “Also, as a
member of the Commonwealth Honors Program
at UMASS Lowell, I am required to do a Senior
Capstone Project. Ironic, huh?”
Whatever form that Capstone Project takes, it is
clear that MDA has a strong supporter in Kade. He
recommends that anyone facing a diagnosis like
his seek out the organization.
“When someone is diagnosed, the first thing we
all want is information and the MDA has plenty
of it to share. Second, if a patient or family need
some form of assistance, the MDA has many
programs that can help. Lastly, the MDA is made
up of a community of individuals who want to
serve and to help ease pain and suffering,” Kade
says. “Who wouldn’t want to be part of that kind of
community?”
Article available at: https://strongly.mda.org/high-school-track-athlete-myotonicdystrophy-finds-stride-helping-others/
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