At the 49^th Shad’s R&R, June 13, 2024, the group came through once again with a wonderful presentation of $175,000.00 to Stacey Lintern, President and CEO, Muscular Dystrophy Canada. And a BIG drumroll here—to date, this brings their total contributions for MDC to $5,700,000!!

Well done everyone! A lot of hard work by Shad’s R&R board members goes into this effort and it has certainly paid off. All the aftermarket companies involved in this golf event are to be commended as well for joining forces with Shad’s, showing up for the event in mass numbers (there were more than 300 people in attendance this year coming from as far away as British Columbia and Newfoundland-Labrador) and contributing prizes and monies to make Shad’s R&R the success it is. Fifty-three major sponsors came forth in 2024!

And there is always room for more… ideally, all the automotive aftermarket companies here in Canada would be most welcome! So please put it on your agenda to join up with Shad’s R&R and help make the contribution to Muscular Dystrophy Canada even larger—it’s a very worthwhile cause and one that helps many people survive this devastating disease.

 

Dr. Osman brought a vital message

After this year’s dinner, Dr. Homira Osman, Vice President of Research and Public Policy at Muscular Dystrophy Canada brought us up to date on what is happening at MDC. She supervises a research team at Muscular Dystrophy Canada that not only has oversight of research activities but now also conducts research projects related to neuromuscular disease. Dr. Osman is currently working on two multi-stakeholder collaborative projects: a research study investigating the impact of neuromuscular disorders on direct- and indirect-healthcare resource utilization costs and health-related quality of life and also a cross-Canada newborn screening initiative. She is an investigator at the Neuromuscular Disease Network for Canada and serves on the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Community of Practice in Peer Review Steering Committee.

700 new treatments now available

In her talk, Dr. Osman gave us some very new and important information concerning MD and the work going on to find a cure. The good news is that there are now 700 new treatments available for neuromuscular disorders. Currently, their work with children is now showing very positive and healing effects… in some cases catching the symptoms before they can be dangerous to the child’s health.

This is what Shad’s R&R is all about… helping the cause to find a cure for Muscular Dystrophy here in Canada and YOU can be a part of it. Get in touch with Shad’s R&R, your help will be most welcome.

I’d also like to thank Angie Shaddick for sharing her photos for this article… hers were better than mine!