Floral Park, NY - July 24th, 2014 - Bright blue eyes, a full head of hair, beautiful smile, and full of energy. At 5 years old, Ethan Demmers is possibly at the healthiest he will be in his life. Ethan Demmers was recently diagnosed with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. Typically, people with this disease live only into their 20's. Over the next few years, the disease will slowly attack every muscle in Ethan’s body, eventually causing him to permanently be in a wheelchair. Ethan’s parents are not ready to give up their hope for a cure. They are fully committed to helping find a cure for this deadly illness, not just for their own son, but for all others suffering as well.
Ethan’s father, Dustin Demmers, is an English teacher at Floral Park Memorial High School. To the student body, Mr. Demmers can be described as funny, happy, wacky, wild, crazy, and unique among other adjectives. Mr. Demmers can be found smiling through the halls, making jokes over the loudspeakers, or making his class into the ideal environment for learning. It is safe to say, Mr. Demmers is not your average English teacher, especially not to long-time friends and FPM Alumni, Jules Alonzo and Kyle Vidasolo. After hearing about Ethan’s recent diagnosis, Jules and Kyle were motivated to help. “We have the ability to help someone in need, so why not go above and beyond to try and do that!” stated Jules Alonzo.
They are set to tackle a 200-mile bike trail, through the Grand Canyon, in support of Ethan Demmers, on October 1st through October 5th, 2014. “He has done so many nice things for the entire student body, we figured it’s time that someone did something nice for him in return” said Kyle Vidasolo.
This campaign is meant to spread awareness for DMD, while raising money along the way. You can help by going to the Ride For Ethan Go Fund Me account. 100% of your donations will go towards medicine, medical equipment, future home renovations to meet Ethan’s needs, and perhaps even giving Ethan some journeys of his own. In addition, we would like people to read about this illness at www.mda.org. Please help Ethan, and others like him, by spreading his story on social media. Awareness is the first step to help make a cure a reality!
About Ride For Ethan
With The Help Of Floral Park Memorial English Teacher, Anthony D’Amico, FPM Alumni, Jules Alonzo (Class Of ’09) and Kyle Vidasolo (Class Of ’11) Created The Ride For Ethan Campaign In Hopes To Build Awareness For DMD And Ethan Demmers. They Will Be Biking 200 Miles, At 7,000 Feet, Through The Grand Canyon, In Honor Of Ethan. They Will Be Documenting This Incredible Journey In Hopes To Spread Awareness For DMD, While Raising Money Along The Way.