Abandoned by the Muscular Dystrophy Association

I recently attended an event with many former Muscular Dystrophy Association clients, volunteers, and even a few of their former employees. It was the closest thing to a reunion we’ve had in years. There were a few faces I hadn’t seen in person in nearly ten years.

But amid these familiar faces, there were several others I didn’t recognize. New friends to be made along with the old ones, with different backgrounds, ethnicities, beliefs, and abilities. Young and old. But every person in the room had one thing in common.

They knew that MDA neglected their clients, and they wanted to come together and form something new.

I spoke with a man, someone I had never met before, who was there with his young son. We started talking about why we were there. This man, who had no prior relationship with MDA, said he wanted to do something to help because he had heard how MDA abandoned their clients.

And all throughout the room, there was one word I kept hearing over and over when MDA was mentioned.

Abandoned.

Abandoned.

Abandoned.

All these people — nearly 200 of them — knew the truth about MDA. Many may have not known about the other scandals I’ve discussed in previous articles, like the $6 million payments the organization made to the International Association of Fire Fighters, but it is now becoming evident to the general population that MDA has given up on helping those it claims to help.

“They shut everything down,” one person said.

“MDA basically closed its doors,” said another.

And it’s true. Local offices have shuttered. Camps have been cancelled. Loan closets for gently used medical goods like wheelchairs and hospital beds have disappeared. Yet to this day, MDA claims they are providing support to those with neuromuscular diseases.

They’re not.

While this new organization is not a replacement for MDA, it is able to do something MDA no longer does — it brings back the sense of community after years of feeling unmoored.

It’s now primetime season for MDA. Shamrocks will be on sale soon at local retailers. So before you donate that dollar, or five dollars, or more, remember that MDA has abandoned those it claims to serve.