HOPE for POMPE
My name is Dwayne Wilson, I turned 52 years old on St Patrick's Day. I have Late Onset Pompe Disease, LOPD. I was diagnosed on Nov. 19th, 2018. Pompe is a type of muscular dystrophy, a muscle weakness disease also know as Glycogen Storage Disease Type II. Soon afterwards I joined Pompe support groups on Facebook, started getting involved with Hope Travels Pompe Awareness where a Sloth named Hope has become the Official Mascot for the Pompe Community. I got my own SoCal Beach Sloth Hope and started bringing awareness to Pompe Disease with the sloths and Hope. I started making more and more friends in the support groups and decided that I wanted to be an advocate for Pompe Disease. After sharing Hope Travels with the LA MDA office and being in a monthly newsletter, I found out about the LA MDA Muscle Walk and decided that I wanted to walk to raise money for the MDA, Pompe Disease and bring more awareness about it and to bring HOPE to the community. Most everyone I encounter has never heard of the disease. I signed up Team Hope for Pompe in our 1st ever Muscle walk last year. The support and encouragement was overwhelming. I had 13 friends and family members walk and support me including my wife and sister, old high school friends and even a new Pompe friend in Trudy who's in the photo with me. Pompe Strong to bring awareness about the disease. I am so Blessed with the circle of friends around me. Team Hope for Pompe was the #1 Fundraising Team and I was the #1 Fundraising Individual. Not bad for my 1st Muscle Walk for Pompe. Life is about experiences and adventures and making memories with the ones we love, friends and family. I like to say Pompe, It's in my DNA. When someone sees a sloth, they think of me now because HOPE is all around. As the Pompe Community says…Together we are Stronger. I also say, Make a Difference in the World. Keep moving on the road with Pompe, there is Hope for a Cure.
By Dwayne Wilson, USA-Southern California
I am Slothman
