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Help Find A Cure For DMD With Darius Goes West Days at Ciné

by Kathryn Durfee
07/10/2008

In 2005, eleven college-aged guys took their friend Darius on the trip of his lifetime. The resulting film, Darius Goes West, is a tender account of 15-year-old Darius Weems' trek across the country and the importance in educating the public on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

Born with DMD, a common form of muscular dystrophy that kills all its victims before the age of 30, Darius and his friends hoped to publicize the disease and need for a cure and emphasize ability rather than disability. The aim for the trip was to get Darius on MTV's "Pimp My Ride," but though the lengthy thank-you list illustrates the kindness of strangers, the film shows that you can't always expect the same from major cable networks.

Along with his older brother Mario, Darius Weems was born with DMD, the most common and severe form of muscular dystrophy. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the number one genetic killer of children, affects 1 in 3,500 boys. Though two-thirds of occurrences are attributed to genetics, as was the case with the Weems brothers, the horrifying reality remains that one-third of the time, the disease strikes at random. Children affected by DMD slowly lose control of their muscles; most die in their late teens or early twenties, but none make it past the age of 30.

The idea for Darius Goes West began with director Logan Smalley, age 25 at the time of the film's release. Smalley had worked as a counselor at Project Reach, a public camp for disabled children in his hometown. It was here that he first met Darius' brother Mario. "Before he died," Smalley explains, "Mario asked me to take care of Darius." Sixteen years old at the time, Smalley did not understand what he was committing to. "But Mario knew Darius [9] was old enough to understand."

Smalley raised money for the $70,000 film by selling on-screen credits for $10 each, placing piggy banks all over Athens, Georgia, and hosting a barbecue fundraiser in his hometown. In addition, Smalley and his crew were given grants by United Cerebral Palsy, Children's Wish Foundation International, Emmanuel Episcopal Church and the Turner Foundation. After promotional costs, all of the profits from sales of Darius Goes West tickets and DVDs go directly to the cause.

A cure won't be found in Darius' lifetime, but he and his friends understand the importance of spreading awareness of DMD and the need for treatment and a cure. Darius Goes West combines the road-trip footage with personal stories from two other families affected by DMD and an in-depth interview with medical expert Dr. Benjamin Seckler. Seckler provides the morality statistics to this indie tribute to the hero tale and adventure flick. Seckler, the father of a young boy named Charley afflicted with Duchenne, specializes in treating children with the genetic disease. According to Seckler, the cure for Duchenne is just around the corner. "The gene culprit of this disease has been discovered. Human clinical trials are going on now," Seckler explains, "... but what we need is more funding. More research." Dr. Seckler and his wife Tracy have founded Charley's Fund, to which all of Darius Goes West's profits go.

Along with raising awareness and taking Darius on his first trip out of the state, the guys hoped to get Darius on "Pimp My Ride" and have his wheelchair tricked out just like the other vehicles featured on the show. Unfortunately, the show wouldn't consider applicants not from California. In addition to proving the villainy of MTV, "Darius Goes West" shows that despite being afflicted with a degenerative disease, Darius is not crippled by disability. He's a typical teenager who will win over audiences and help forward the movement for a cure.

The highlights of Darius' trip included in the film include: visiting Panama City, Florida, where Darius saw the ocean for the first time and frolicked in the waves, a trip down Bourbon Street in New Orleans, playing the slot machines in Las Vegas, soaring over the California wine country in a wheelchair-accessible hot air balloon, meeting celebrities in Los Angeles, and being made honorary fire chief in St. Louis.

Darius Goes West will be showing at Athens Ciné on Friday, July 18 and Saturday, July 19. Darius and his crew will be at the screenings for the annual DGW celebration. The film will be screened in its entirety each day, and a separate screening on Saturday will include a special release of never-before-seen footage. On Saturday night, there will be a party at Farm 255 with special musical guests Gus D and The Nappy Roots.

The events are free, but seating is limited. Please make reservations by emailing dariusgoeswest@gmail.com.