Elijah Stacey was born 20 years ago with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which impairs movement, curves the spine, damages the heart and respiratory muscles, and typically causes death by age 25. At age 15, Elijah started Destroy Duchenne, which serves to advance gene editing and gene therapy to save his life, his brother’s life and the lives of thousands of people around the globe who have been diagnosed with Duchenne.
To further spread awareness of the disease and raise funds for the nonprofit, he recently wrote a book. The title comes from an experience Elijah faced at age 16. To avoid agonizing surgery, he chose to endure intense physical therapy to change the shape of his own spine. It had never been done before, yet his doctor gave him “A Small If.”
In his book, which is named after what his doctor once told him (A Small If), Elijah explains how he overcame extreme suffering and how he became who he is today by using other people’s negative energy as the ultimate motivation. A Small If is available at major retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Target, with portions of every purchase going to Destroy Duchenne.
