It's National Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month. How many ways can you make a difference in September?

About Us

Our mission is to empower people living with neuromuscular diseases to live longer, more independent lives.

Muscular Dystrophy Association Releases New PSA Campaign with Indianapolis Colts Running Back Nyheim Hines

NEW YORK, June 15, 2021 -- The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has partnered with national spokesperson, Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts running back, who has a personal connection to the critical need to drive awareness of the need to improve care and advance research to find treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy, ALS, and over 43 related neuromuscular diseases. Hines' mother lives with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD), and is included in the video and audio PSAs, available for media here, through the end of 2021.

Watch the PSAs here:

Muscular Dystrophy Association PSA with Nyheim Hines, NFL running back of the Indianapolis Colts.
Muscular Dystrophy Association PSA with Nyheim Hines, NFL running back of the Indianapolis Colts

Hines is a running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He has long been a supporter of MDA through the NFL's My Cause My Cleats campaign. "Having family members who have lived with or are living with muscular dystrophy has always motivated me to spend any free time trying to raise awareness so we can find cures and provide the best care for families across the country living with these diseases," Hines said. "MDA is the leading organization in advancing the community's needs and advocating for improving care and finding cures for people living with muscular dystrophy. I am proud and honored to be an official spokesperson for MDA."

"We're honored to have Nyheim's continued collaboration to raise awareness for the Muscular Dystrophy Association throughout the year on many campaigns that are essential to fueling our mission to find treatments and cures and support for the neuromuscular community through education and advocacy," said Donald S. Wood, PhD, President and CEO of MDA. "We know the power of funding scientific research for therapeutic development, and we've seen the results first-hand. Our work has led in part to 12 FDA approved treatments in just the past six years, and many more are within sight for our families."

About the Muscular Dystrophy Association

For 70 years, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has been committed to transforming the lives of people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. We do this through innovations in science and innovations in care. As the largest source of funding for neuromuscular disease research outside of the federal government, MDA has committed more than $1 billion since our inception to accelerate the discovery of therapies and cures. Research we have supported is directly linked to life-changing therapies across multiple neuromuscular diseases. MDA's MOVR is the first and only data hub that aggregates clinical, genetic, and patient-reported data for multiple neuromuscular diseases to improve health outcomes and accelerate drug development. MDA supports the largest network of multidisciplinary clinics providing best-in-class care at more than 150 of the nation's top medical institutions. Our Resource Center serves the community with one-on-one specialized support, and we offer educational conferences, events, and materials for families and healthcare providers. MDA Advocacy supports equal access for our community, and each year thousands of children and young adults learn vital life skills and gain independence at summer camp and through recreational programs, at no cost to families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MDA continues to produce virtual events and programming to support our community when in-person events and activities are not possible. MDA’s COVID-19 guidelines and virtual events are posted at mda.org/COVID19. For more information, visit mda.org.