At Aiden Leffler’s last checkup, doctors discovered slight generalized osteoporosis after performing a bone age X-ray. Osteoporosis is the deterioration of bone and is not uncommon as people grow older.

What is uncommon, is Aiden’s age.

At only age 5, Aiden has begun to show signs of limited energy, low finger strength, and the beginning of deterioration in his growth, muscle strength, organ strength, and overall health. Aiden has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disease that affects all voluntary muscles, the heart, and breathing muscles.

On May 16, 300 students rallied behind Aiden by volunteering for the 4th annual Walk for Aiden at Sammamish High School football field. The Walk for Aidan is a community-building event designed to raise awareness and funds for Muscular Dystrophy in an effort to help find a cure.

Crowds of people came out for the day-long event including former Mariners player Jay Buhner and his kids Brielle and Chase; Seahawks Kelly Jennings and Jamar Adams, Clayton Green, and the Bellevue Fire Department. The day began with a performance by the Eastside Dance Team and volunteers hosted a face-painting booth, a barbeque, and a drawing for prizes throughout the day.

This year’s Walk raised more than $20,000 for the Aiden Leffler Trust Fund. To date, the fund has helped pay for the many medicines and supplements Aidan has to take daily, his visits to a physician in Cincinnati, and some of his monitoring equipment. Proceeds from the Walk for Aidan also benefit Charley’s Fund, the only 501(c)3 organization exclusively devoted to finding a cure for DMD within our lifetime.

According to Aidan, (as found on the Walk for Aiden Website at http://www.walkforaidan.org/)

I am losing my first tooth.

I just saw Monsters Versus Aliens.

I want to be a Clone Wars Trooper for Halloween.

I have a stuffed dog named Chicken.

My favorite food is pasta.

My favorite color is blue and red and yellow.

I want to be a Husky someday.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.