Giving the Gift of Life with Donation to Destroy Duchenne

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 30, 2021) — GivingTuesday unleashes the power of generosity and what better way to do good than help a nonprofit give the gift of life?

The 501(c) (3) Destroy Duchenne serves to advance gene editing and gene therapy to find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Affecting six per 100,000 individuals in North America and Europe, the disease impairs movement, curves the spine, damages the heart and respiratory muscles, and leads to weakness, scoliosis and death - typically by age 25.

Corona, CA resident, Elijah Stacy knows these symptoms all too well. Twenty years ago, he was born with Duchenne, which has taken the life of one of his brothers and left him in a wheelchair since age 11. Another brother has the disease and also is confined to a wheelchair.

Wanting to save his life, his brother’s life and the lives of thousands of people around the globe who have been diagnosed with Duchenne, Elijah boldly started Destroy Duchenne at age 15.

He has done everything from creating the logo, naming the organization, building the website, and starting a GoFundMe on day one that initially raised $1,000 to pay for the legal paperwork to make Destroy Duchenne a registered tax-exempt nonprofit organization.

Since then, he’s built up the nonprofit’s social media following, started the first ever Duchenne podcast and started the Destroy Duchenne Ice Cup Challenge.

Believing that his purpose is to “minimize human suffering and propel human prosperity,” Elijah regularly gives media interviews and accepts public speaking engagements, sharing his story with companies, religious groups, support groups and students worldwide.

In doing so, he inspires everyone he talks to.

“Elijah’s optimistic nature is one of his standout characteristics, and its inspiring.”

--Jeff Bezos, Founder and Executive Chairman of Amazon (video of Jeff and Elijah here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BxwD62uHfnW/?utm_medium=share_sheet)

To further spread awareness of the disease and raise funds for the nonprofit, he recently wrote a book. The title comes from an experience Elijah faced at age 16. To avoid agonizing surgery, he chose to endure enough physical therapy to change the shape of his own spine. It had never been done before, so his doctor gave him “A Small If.”

In A Small If (Sept. 28, 2021, Lioncrest Publishing ISBN TC), Elijah explains how he overcame extreme suffering and how he became who he is today by using other people’s negative energy as the ultimate motivation. It shares 13 lessons learned throughout Elijah’s life’s journey. Chapters include “Stay Ambitious,” “Connect the Dots Later,” “Self-Image,” “Dichotomy of Control,” and “Prioritize Your Character.”

The book is ideal for anyone wanting to learn about resilience and how to be positive – a real challenge in today’s world of COVID and other fatal diseases, bullying, tough economic times, natural disasters and other woes.

A Small If is now available at major retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Target with portions of every purchase going to Destroy Duchenne. For more information, visit www.elijahjstacy.com. For more information about Destroy Duchenne or to make a donation, visit www.destroyduchenne.org.