A Saucon Valley teenager who has a rare form of muscular dystrophy will be doing her part to raise awareness and funding for research into the disease at Friday night’s home football game vs. Palmerton, where it will be Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Night.
Saucon student Shelby VanVliet
Shelby VanVliet is selling t-shirts that read “Change for Change – Muscular Dystrophy” for $10 this week during high school lunch periods, and she will also be selling them from a table at the game.
The words on the shirts refers to another initiative of VanVliet’s–a change collection contest in Saucon Valley homerooms. All of the change collected will help fund research into muscular dystrophy.
VanVliet is confined to a wheelchair but that hasn’t gotten her down, and she is determined to do what she can to help researchers find a cure for the often-crippling disease, sooner rather than later.
“We are super excited Saucon is fighting with us (first time ever) and really want to spread the word!” Linda VanVliet said.
Although Shelby has had MD her entire life, it wasn’t until June that she was finally diagnosed with a rare form of it known as Titin Myopathy Muscular Dystrophy, Linda explained.
“We are fighting for a (medical) trial,” she said. “It is so rare that (Shelby’s) form was just discovered in the last two years, and they are predicting at least 10 years for a trial… We want to squash that number, since we now know her respiratory (system) is very involved and her heart is most likely to be involved in the future.”
“We need to find a cure or treatment,” VanVliet stressed.
All proceeds from sales of the shirts and a donation bucket at the game will go toward MD research and also benefit local families affected by the disease, she said.
VanVliet’s older brother, Devan, was a member of the Saucon Class of 2016, the 2015 district championship Panther varsity football team and a top wrestler for the school.
Friday night’s game at the school district stadium begins at 7 p.m.
Linda said Shelby’s table will hopefully be located near the main entrance.
