Author Archives: Dr. Kathryn Wagner

At Kennedy Krieger, we pride ourselves on “unlocking the potential” of children with special needs. It’s easy to visualize the meaning of this for a child with a developmental disability, who might learn new skills and walk or talk for the first time with the help of the team here. Still, when I first came to Kennedy Krieger to launch a center for muscular dystrophy, it wasn’t immediately clear to me what “unlocking potential” meant for the children and young adults in my care. After all, muscular dystrophy is a degenerative condition where children are born with normal function, but slowly lose strength and skills over time.

That was until I met Ben.

For Ben Cumbo, a diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) meant a future in the spotlight – literally. As a National Goodwill Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), Ben and his parents traveled around the country to raise awareness and funds. In fact, you may remember Ben spontaneously showing off his dance moves on national TV alongside comedian Jerry Lewis during the 1997 MDA Telethon. It was only a few years later that DMD finally robbed Ben of his ability to dance.

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