Tonya (Bakewell) Dreher ’92 knew she was made for something more when her son Gus was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
After graduating from Concordia, Dreher was an English teacher for 12 years until her youngest was diagnosed with Duchenne. She soon realized that her life’s calling was perhaps a little different than she had planned.
The Hope for Gus Foundation and its signature Everest to End Duchenne fundraising trek to Mount Everest Base Camp have raised $100,000 to fund new gene-editing research that could lead to new treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
The nine-member U.S. Everest to End Duchenne team is led by Tonya Dreher, mother of Gus Dreher, a New Hampshire 12-year-old who became the inspiration for the trek after being diagnosed with DMD in 2010.
As the group of nine New Hampshire residents neared the Mount Everest base camp, the air was thin. Every movement took more effort than usual.
It’s a small taste of what life is like for Gus Dreher of Peterborough.
Gus has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a degenerative genetic disorder that can be carried by females but almost exclusively manifests itself in men. While the life expectancy for men and boys with DMD is increasing, the majority still die in their 20s.
WMUR9 News special with Chris Balch and Tonya Dreher, discussing Everest to End Duchenne and fundraising for Duchenne research.
A Peterborough mother has returned home after taking on Mount Everest to raise awareness and money for the form of muscular dystrophy her son is living with.
