Fund Community, Care, and a Cure for Myotonic Dystrophy!
Support team Groovy Garibaldi in their English Channel Relay Swim
Support team Groovy Garibaldi in their English Channel Relay Swim
Support team Groovy Garibaldi's English Channel Relay Swim!
Relay team Groovy Garibaldi will swim across the English Channel between July 18-22, 2023 (whenever the conditions are best!). Support Rachel Johns, Anneke Raney, Michella Thomas, and Cyndi Cavanagh in their open water relay swim by donating to the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation (MDF)!
UPDATE: Team Groovy Garibaldi started their swim last Wednesday night (July 19th) around midnight UK time, or 4:00 pm Pacific time)! Congratulations to Groovy Garibaldi on their amazing accomplishment!
Team Groovy Garibaldi just after they finished their swim with Cap Gris-Nez in the background
A Historic Swim
The English Channel crossing starts on a beach south of Dover and ends somewhere along the French coastline between Cap Gris-Nez and Calais, depending on the currents and conditions. The crossing is 21 miles in a straight line, but the strong currents force swimmers to cross in an S-shape, adding miles to the challenge. The first successful crossing was in 1875; to date* there have been approximately 4,133 Channel swims, with 1,881 swimmers completing 2,428 solo swims. Relay swims and multiple crossings have become popular in recent years.
Team Groovy Garibaldi at the race's starting point
Meet Team Groovy Garibaldi
Team Groovy Garibaldi: Rachel Johns, Michella Thomas, Anneke Raney, Cyndi Cavanagh
The Groovy Garibaldi is a team of four women who love open water swimming for the stunning views from the water, the encounters with sea life, the therapeutic effects, and the community. We swim primarily in La Jolla Cove, California, USA, with several “pods” of regular swimmers. Our captain, Michella, successfully completed a solo swim of the English Channel in June 2021, and wanted to do it again “for fun” with friends.
Two of the 4 team members work in a patient-focused biotechnology company revolutionizing a new class of target RNA therapeutics, focusing on rare neuromuscular diseases, including myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1).
We are dedicating our English Channel Relay Swim to support the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation, an exceptional non-profit organization that is committed to enhancing the quality of life of people living with DM through community support, education, advocacy, and research.
The Groovy Garibaldi sporting their team swimsuits
About Myotonic Dystrophy
Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is a multi-systemic inherited disease that may affect as many as 1 in 2,100 people (more than 150,000 in the US alone). DM is an under-diagnosed genetic disease, clinically described as a degenerative (symptoms become increasingly more severe later in life) with anticipation (disease symptoms tend to be more severe and occur earlier in successive generations). Myotonic dystrophy is a highly variable, multi-systemic genetic disorder for which no therapies or a cure currently exist, though there are currently four drug therapies in phase I/II clinical trials. DM symptoms can range from serious cardiac and respiratory issues to significant and ongoing GI impairments, and permanent cognitive and emotional delays or deficits. More information is available at www.myotonic.org.
About the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation
Who We Are
The Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation (MDF) is the world's largest patient organization focused solely on myotonic dystrophy. Our mission is to enhance the quality of life of people living with myotonic dystrophy (DM) and accelerate research focused on treatments and a cure. To date, MDF has supported the DM community in over 139 countries.
What We Do
Support and Education
MDF provides emotional support, education and resources to affected individuals and their families, and conducts outreach to raise awareness about DM in the medical community and the general population.
Research
MDF is committed to accelerating research and therapies. Efforts include: supporting up-and-coming postdoctoral fellowships to expand the research base; funding the development of new animal models, cell lines and a drug testing facility; launching and managing the Myotonic Dystrophy Family Registry; investing in target identification, drug screening, clinical trial design and outcome measures; and more.
Advocate
MDF advocates for legislation, research, and infrastructure initiatives that will advance our understanding of myotonic dystrophy, accelerate drug development, and improve diagnosis and care. We strive to raise visibility of myotonic dystrophy and people living with DM with key stakeholders in Congress, federal and state agencies, medical professionals, and the media.
Learn More
Find more information about MDF's Impact and how your donations are spent.
Avidity Biosciences & MDF
Since 2021 MDF has hosted Meet-the-DM-Drug-Developers webinars with our biotechnology and pharmaceutical partners who are actively working on treatments and a cure for DM. We invite them to sit down with our community, share their progress, and answer questions live. Avidity Biosciences has been an active participant in this series, bringing their promising trial data to the DM community.
Watch the May 2023 Meet-the-DM-Drug-Developer webinar with Avidity & MDF
Register for the upcoming August 2023 Meet-the-DM-Drug-Developer webinar with Avidity & MDF
Left: The swim starts at the White Cliffs of Dover | Right: The swim ends on the French coastline, pictured in the distance, between Cap Gris-Nez and Calai