Illinois Community Meeting

Saturday, August 7th

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Central Time

The past several months have been challenging and isolating for many, which is why MDF is planning a virtual community meeting for Illinois on Saturday, August 7 from 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Central Time. Share this event with your friends on Facebook.

Led by Rob Besecker, award-winning author, healthcare professional, and MDF Support Group Facilitator for the Chicagoland Area Support Group, with MDF staff, this event will:

Update you about exciting and important activities and resources from MDF
Provide a confidential, supportive space for DM community members to share and connect
Recruit volunteers from the area to continue these meetings into the future, virtually or in-person

We have so much news to share with you from MDF! Not only are we constantly generating new resources through programs like our monthly Ask-the-Expert series and Meet the DM Drug Developer presentations, but many beloved MDF traditions are continuing, like the annual Conference that will be virtual this year.

We are also thrilled to be part of a Global Alliance that has named September 15 International Myotonic Dystrophy Awareness Day, an inaugural day of celebrating the community and telling the world about DM. We want to tell you all about it and get your ideas for ways you and your community can raise awareness about DM!

Please join us on Saturday, August 7 from 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Central Time for a community meeting. Anyone living with DM of any kind – DM1, DM2, congenital, juvenile-onset – and any loved one or family member is welcome.

Questions?

Contact our Program Director at info@myotonic.org or via phone at 415-800-7777.

Date(s)

Sat, 08/07/2021 - 05:00AM

Myotonic Dystrophy News

April 11,2025

Celebrate Myotonic Dystrophy In Motion Awareness Month 2025 – Movement Matters this July

This July, MDF is thrilled to host the second annual Myotonic Dystrophy In Motion Awareness Month—a month-long celebration centered around our 2025 theme: Movement Matters.

April 11,2025

Research Fellowship Feature: Cécilia Légaré, PhD

Meet one of our 2025 Fellowship recipients, Cécilia Légaré, PhD! Dr. Légaré started her DM1 research in 2013 during an undergraduate internship and continued through her master’s. She published two first-author papers (Epigenomics, 2020; Neurology Genetics, 2019) and one second-author paper (Human Molecular Genetics, 2019). These were presented at 24 conferences, including IDMC-10 and IDMC-11. She now applies this expertise to DM1 research and is currently working on the project “Identification of a transcriptomic signature in myotonic dystrophy type 1”.

April 11,2025

Research Fellowship Feature: Diana Alejandra Madrid Fuentes, MSc

Meet one of our 2025 Fellowship recipients, Diana Alejandra Madrid Fuentes, MSc! Diana Madrid Fuentes’ journey in studying muscle health began in 2020 when she joined Dr. Ashley Weaver’s biomedical engineering lab as a Fulbright Scholar and master’s student from Honduras. In the summer of 2021, Diana Madrid Fuentes met Dr. Araya Puwanant, whose enthusiasm for studying DM and commitment to understanding neurobiology through imaging biomarkers inspired her to enter the field. Currently she is working on the project “Validating Muscle MRI as a Biomarker of Disease Status in DM2”. Diana Madrid Fuentes is committed to approaching the field with a fresh perspective and a dedication to advancing research and improving outcomes for DM patients and their families.

April 11,2025

Research Fellowship Feature: Louison Daussy, MSc

Meet one of our 2025 MDF Research Fellowship recipients, Louison Daussy, MSc! A fascination with the brain and central nervous system (CNS) disorders—sparked by the Téléthon event on French TV—inspired Louison to pursue a BSc in Life Sciences at Sorbonne University, focusing on neuroscience. During this time, they interned with Capucine Trollet’s group, optimizing immunolabeling techniques and using confocal microscopy to study oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. The MDF fellowship now supports their PhD project “DM1 Neuropathology: From Neuronal Morphology and Axonal Transport to the Reversion of Brain Disease” at the Centre de Recherche en Myologie in Paris.

March 21,2025

Community Interview: Barbara Ochoa, Support Group Facilitator

Barbara Ochoa is a dedicated Support Group Facilitator whose journey with DM has shaped her commitment to helping others. In this interview, Barbara shares how her family’s diagnostic journey inspired her to give back to the DM community.

Questions?

Request Warmline Support! MDF offers a professionally staffed Warmline for people living with myotonic dystrophy, their caregivers, medical professionals and others to ask questions, find support and guidance and, when appropriate, be connected to additional resources and services. Click here to request Warmline Support.

Additional questions? Contact MDF by email at info@myotonic.org or give us a call at 415-800-7777.