Dusty's Trail: Summit of Borneo

Gr 5 Up—After seeking advice from a doctor regarding her six-year-old son's clumsiness, Catherine Jayasuriya found out that her son, Dusty Brandom, had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disease linked to the Y chromosome that affects one in roughly every 3,500 male births. Now 19 and wheelchair bound, Dusty has a positive attitude, despite his weakening condition, which eventually will shut down muscles in his body, including his heart and breathing muscles. To raise awareness about this condition, Dusty's mother formed Coalition Duchenne with the goal to spread global awareness and increase research funding. Viewers will gain a good understanding of this genetic condition as the family scales Mount Kinabalu in Borneo to remind others not to take their mobility for granted. Much of this documentary promotes the coalition, and thus it may not have much appeal for a middle or high school audience, but the disc includes useful additional features, such as conversations with Dusty, questions and answers with the filmmaker (Jayasuriya), interviews with doctors who treat Duchenne, and a mountain guide sing-a-long. This program might work best shown in segments to understand genetic disorders and populations that are challenged by similar conditions.