This past weekend, PPMD kicked off our 2026 PPMD Together series in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Individuals with Duchenne and Becker, their families, clinicians, and industry partners gathered for a day and a half full of connection and community.
Attendees were welcomed Friday evening with a casual adult reception to connect and reconnect with familiar faces, while the kids had their own fun building Legos and making crafts.
Saturday kicked off with an industry resource fair where attendees could meet with various companies in the space, learn about local & educational resources, and ways PPMD can provide support. Throughout the day, community members were featured in various panel discussions, where topics ranged from practical tips to navigating the diagnosis and daily life, to finding your support system and giving back to the community. Panelists opened up about how they manage hard days and the mantras that guide them. As one mom said, “No matter what, we always get through it.”
Adith Thummalappali, PPMD’s PAAC President, shared his lived experience with attendees. He talked about going away for college, getting an engineering degree, and how he occasionally does stand up comedy for fun. He credited his accomplishments to his parents, who consistently supported and encouraged him to pursue his interests. As Adith said, “I might not be able to do things the way others can, but I can do those things.”
By sharing their lived experience, families learned from one another ways to navigate this diagnosis and everything that comes with it.
In addition to community panels, clinicians from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania joined the meeting for an open Q&A to “Ask the Experts.” Attendees were able to ask the most important questions on their mind from cardiac & neuromuscular care, clinical trials & upcoming research, care for carriers, and more.
To close the day, PPMD’s Founding President Pat Furlong reflected on the power of this community by sharing a quote from Christina Koch, an astronaut from the Artemis II Mission: “A crew is a group that is in it all the time, no matter what, that is stroking together every minute with the same purpose, that is willing to sacrifice silently for each other, that gives grace, that holds accountable. A crew has the same cares and the same needs, and a crew is inescapably, beautifully, dutifully linked.”
The Duchenne and Becker community is that crew, and we are stronger together.
Join us for more opportunities to connect at PPMD’s 2026 Annual Conference, June 25-27 in Orlando, FL and our next PPMD Together in San Francisco, CA on September 18 -19, 2026.
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