MacDonald raises funds
to send kids to Pine Tree Camp
MDA CAMP FUND-RAISER
Adam MacDonald, of Presque Isle, at left, joined Store Manager Sarah Foster at Marden’s in Houlton July 3, raising funds to send kids with various forms of Muscular Dystrophy to Pine Tree Camp by selling Camp Mobiles. MacDonald has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He’s devoted much of his life to raising funds and awareness of the disease and will continue to do so come Labor Day when he will be in Bangor answering phones for WABI-TV’s portion of the annual Jerry Lewis Telethon.
PRESQUE ISLE — Adam MacDonald, of Presque Isle, recently helped support a cause he is all too familiar with, hoping to help others like him.
MacDonald has a form of Muscular Dystrophy known as Duchenne — one of over 40 forms of Muscular Dystrophy (Duchenne is the number one genetic killer of boys across the world today). He traveled down to Houlton on July 3 to help Store Manager Sarah Foster and other employees sell Camp Mobiles to support sending kids with any of the over 40 forms of MD to an MDA session of camp at Pine Tree Camp.
He attended camp once when he was younger and still able to walk. Later he attended an adult session of a fishing weekend at Pine Tree Camp. MDA does not cover the cost for adults with MD to attend a camp session; although he won’t be able to attend, MacDonald still wanted to support Camp Mobile Sales to send kids to camp even though he won’t benefit from this fund-raiser. He and his mom, Cheryl Markey, along with his grandmother, Evelyn Morris, helped sell the mobiles and had a great time meeting some of the employees at the Houlton Marden’s Store.
During his time at the store, MacDonald saw some local people he knew down there shopping and they all purchased a mobile. Also, relatives of his that live in Houlton came to shop at Marden’s and purchased mobiles. He and his mom always invite others to research Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in an effort to spread awareness about this disease — that there isn’t a cure for it yet but researchers are getting so close to it becoming a reality.
MacDonald has represented MDA either as a state poster child in South Carolina and Maine and a goodwill ambassador in the years since learning of his Duchenne DX back in 1990 while the family was living at Myrtle Beach AFB, S.C. This year will be MacDonald’s and his mom’s 20th year giving up their Labor Day Weekend to volunteer answering phones and appearing live during the telethon taking place this upcoming Labor Day Weekend broadcasting from WABI-TV Channel 5 News out of Bangor — part of the annual Jerry Lewis Telethon. Be sure to tune in and, if you wish, make a donation.
