Who Is Your Hero?

Do you have a personal hero? Tell us about them. It doesn’t have to be perfect to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Your Everyday Hero: Darius

Darius is my hero. He created a 90-minute documentary film to raise awareness of and money toward a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Darius has DMD, the most aggressive type of Muscular Dystrophy, from which his brother died at age 19. Since then, Darius has searched for a way to let other people know about the disease. Three years ago, he landed on a creative plan to do just that. He and a friend were watching MTV's 'Pimp My Ride,' in which old cars are re-vamped. Hoping that MTV might want to re-vamp Darius's old and unreliable wheelchair, the boys decided to take a cross-country trip to Los Angeles, to knock on MTV's door and pose their idea in person. Darius realized they could film the trip, and use it to educate people about both DMD and accessibility challenges facing the disabled. Darius and a group of friends spent months organizing the trip and raising money for it, and then set out to film 'Darius Goes West.' The film documents their travels across the U.S. – Darius's first trip outside his hometown – and the accessibility challenges they encountered. It has won numerous awards at film festivals around the world, and has raised thousands of dollars toward a cure for DMD. Darius, now considered an emerging leader in the field of disability rights, travels extensively to speak about the film, DMD, and accessibility. When you ask him what he thinks about all of this, he says, 'I can't believe we were able to do this. I've learned that I can get things done. I can make the world better.'
This story courtesy of www.barronprize.org

Story was submitted anonymously