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Eric's Amazing Race revs up for another rally By Dianne Cornish METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP 27 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, October 23, 2009 Every November, the traffic on north Flamborough and Burlington roads increases and the race to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) moves a little closer to the finish line. Founded seven years ago by Ted and Heather Lindsay and named for their nine-year-old nephew Eric Morden, of Oakville, who is waging a valiant battle against DMD, Eric's Amazing Race is helping to fund research into the disorder characterized by muscle degeneration, leading to loss of ambulation and eventually death. With the help of members of their immediate family, the Lindsays organize an annual car rally and silent auction every fall to help their nephew and other boys like him cope with the disorder, which affects only males. "We didn't want to be passive when we heard the news about Eric's diagnosis," said Lindsay, who is an advertising manager with Metroland West Media Group. "We wanted to deal with it head on and we brought everybody else (in the family) along for the ride." Eric Morden The ride, otherwise known as Eric's Amazing Race, has proven to be a highly successful event, raising about $90,000 since its inception. "I have every confidence we'll surpass the $100,000 mark this year," said Lindsay, noting that the rally drew 125 cars last year and the auction, well over 500 guests. This year's event is on Saturday, Nov. 7, with the rally starting at Bruce T. Lindley School, 2510 Cavendish Dr. in north Burlington and ending at the Waterdown Legion Hall, where the auction will be held. Registration will run from noon to 1 p.m. the day of the event and the auction will be held from 37 p.m. The rally is a leisurely ride through the Hamilton/Halton countryside, usually lasting about two hours. Along the route are various landmarks and signs, some of which participants are asked questions about. Those providing the most correct answers after travelling the least number of kilometres are declared the winners, Lindsay explained. The auction, features an array of donated items including gift certificates from local businesses and restaurants, as well as tickets to Toronto Maple Leafs, Hamilton Bulldogs or Toronto Raptors games. Lindsay said the award has done a lot to raise public awareness about the fight against DMD and has also helped raise the profile of Jesse's Journey Foundation, a registered charitable organization that funds leading-edge research toward effective treatments and an ultimate cure for the disorder. All of the proceeds from Eric's Amazing Race go to the Foundation named after Jesse Davidson, a 29-year-old London, Ontario man who is also fighting DMD. Jesse's dad, John, a close friend of the Lindsays, is the driving force behind the charity that he founded after pushing his son, then 15, in a wheelchair across Ontario in 1995 to bring attention to the need for funding DMD research. Three years later, Davidson walked solo across Canada, again to impress upon Canadians the importance of research. According to the Foundation's managing director Rick Moss, events like Eric's Amazing Race are helping to fund $500,000 worth of research that is having positive results for those afflicted with DMD. Human trials that will hopefully extend the lives of some boys are under way and treatments that are less invasive have been discovered. For Lindsay, his wife and extended family, the motivation to keep on running the race is simple. Eric's steadfast fight against the disease, which makes it difficult to walk and often results in falls, is inspiring. And in April, he went the extra mile by getting involved in a fundraiser at his school. His mother, Darlene, and a group of parents organized a Move-a-Thon for the 260 students at Chisholm Public School in Oakville, resulting in $6,000 being raised for DMD research. The event, which was focused on "A Walk across Canada" theme, saw students collect pledges before taking part in activities that required them to keep moving non-stop for 15 minutes. Elaborating on his reasons for organizing the rally, Lindsay said, "DMD is extremely sad in its own right." The progressive muscle degeneration eventually causes the heart to stop, typically sometime during the patient's teen years or into their mid 30s. "No child deserves to have a life where he is fated to live in a wheelchair at 10 and watch his body become a shell," he said. "This is our cause because we're watching a family member and he's doing so valiantly." For more information or to make a donation, contact the Lindsays at 905-331-6874 or e-mail tether69@hotmail.com.