"Nothing I wouldn't do": This dad is climbing Mount Everest to raise awareness and money for his son's condition
Dillon Doeden is a self-proclaimed non-athlete – and yet, he's embarking on one of the toughest physical feats, climbing Mount Everest. The dad from Omaha, Nebraska, is motivated by someone special: his 4-year-old son, Connor, who has a from of muscular dystrophy called Duchenne.
"This is a big physical feat for me, but I draw motivation from the fact that every time my son even tries to walk or move or do anything a normal little kid would do, he's expending tremendous effort," Doeden told CBS News. "So, for me, it's easy to work hard I guess."
Connor was was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was 2 years old. "Duchenne is disorder that causes muscle wasting of every muscle in the human body," Doeden said. "And it's ultimately fatal. There is no cure ... and we are trying to change that."
In people with Duchenne, the dystrophin protein that is needed for muscles to function properly, is missing or found in very small amounts. Duchenne primarily affects boys and men, with 1 in 3,500 to 5,000 boys born worldwide having Duchenne, and by the time they become teens, their life expectancy is severely reduced.
The disease is rare, but Connor is not alone. Doeden met a fellow dad on Facebook, who has a son with Duchenne. Jim Raffone also runs JAR of Hope, a charity to bring awareness and raise money for Duchenne research.
"[Raffone] said, 'Hey, we're going to do this big fundraiser, we're going to climb Everest and help try and fund a clinical trial for Duchenne. You might be my kind of crazy. Are you in?'" Doeden said. He asked his wife what she thought and she told him he should absolutely go.
"I am so grateful another dad in the Duchenne community is coming on the Climb For The Cure," Raffone said in a statement to CBS News. "We need to work together to make Duchenne a household name."
That's why they're planning to climb Everest – the world's tallest mountain.
"I've gotten some people questioning, 'Well, why are you going to Everest? Why are you going halfway around the world to do this, can't you do something locally?' And I guess the answer is that I would do anything for my son and we chose Everest because, well, quite frankly, it merits some attention," Doeden said.
Raffone, Doeden and two other men will start their trek in April. Their fundraising goal is $95,000, but the clinical trial Raffone hopes to fund costs $750,000.
Doeden said he's been training for the climb – which is 80 miles round trip – and he feels confident he can do it.
For Doeden, the difficulty is worth it – because of his son. "This isn't necessarily something I would've done on my own. But because we're doing it to help my son and others dealing with Duchenne, it's easy to stay motivated in my book. Like, there's nothing I wouldn't do," he said.