I was more than willing to latch my heart and soul onto this project because it is something that is currently affecting my family. 18 months ago, my 6-year-old brother, Jacob, was diagnosed with Duchenne. It hit my entire family pretty hard, and at the time, we knew nothing about the disease. Googling “Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy” was a very scary thing, especially since there isn’t a cure yet. It was also shocking because it is extremely common: 1 out of 3,500 boys will be diagnosed with DMD, and most won’t survive past their mid-twenties. My little brothers are my absolute joy in life. As a big sister, I refuse to accept this, and will stop at nothing to help my brother – and all other boys with DMD – in any way I can.

When I first sat down to write, it was such a horrible experience. All of my words felt negative, hopeless and weak. I knew in my heart to gain awareness, you have to uplift the spirit. Months and months went by, then suddenly I woke up and I knew it was time to write. Inspiration, hope and positivity was on full throttle. In one week, “Run Away” was written, recorded and produced. I decided on the words “Run Away” for a few reasons. One being this is something that a child with Duchenne cannot do. I can imagine every parent wants to see their child play and run without trouble. Another reason is that I feel as if we need to start mentally “running” away from all the negativity the disease brings and “running” towards the cure, together, making each other brave.

The hard part was over, right?? WRONG!!

We have encountered a number of “hills” along the way, but somehow the cards are always in our favor and we make it over the hill, even if it wasn’t as easy as planned. I feel like this is the same battle with finding a cure for Duchenne.

A few weeks later, I contacted a bunch of people about filming a video for the song. The time, effort and work that was (and still is) being put into the video is absolutely humbling. Wardrobe, make-up, photos, lighting, camera work, props, editing… So much goes into one tiny idea – a tiny idea that grows by the day. Soon we will be posting the behind-the-scenes video and, ultimately, releasing the official “Run Away” music video towards the end of November!

Right now, CureDuchenne, myself and sooo, sooo many others have put so much work into making sure “Run Away” will have the best chance possible at success. Our goal is to raise awareness and money to find the cure for all boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. 100% of the proceeds from “Run Away” will be donated to CureDuchenne.

There is still a lot of work to be done in the next few weeks leading up to the release, but the team I have involved is incredible. Once everything is released, I will have a GINORMOUS page dedicated to The Run Away Project Team, because it is honestly so amazing to see everyone’s handprint on helping find a cure for Duchenne. You’ll be able to see what part each person played and how we couldn’t have done it without them. (Hint: You are on that page right now – scroll down to see the team!)

If you can help in any way with press, PR, media or anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact me. There is no act too small.

Or, you can donate directly to CureDuchenne: www.smarturl.it/RunAwayDonate

—Sarah Burgess

Together, we can Cure Duchenne.
Together, we will Run Away.