Thank you!

Squats are done for today!

More Than a Squat

For me, the FSHD Global Squat Challenge is about much more than squats. It is about solidarity, hope and using what we have today to help change what tomorrow looks like for people living with FSHD.

FSHD is a disease that progressively takes away muscle strength. For some, that means losing the ability to run, climb stairs or lift their arms above their head. For others, it means losing the ability to walk independently, transfer from a chair, turn in bed or complete many of the everyday movements most people never have to think twice about.

I know personally what it means to have FSHD change what your body can do. And I also know that everyone's experience of this disease is different.

That is one of the reasons taking part in this challenge matters so much to me.

I want to represent and stand in solidarity with our entire FSHD community — those who can do hundreds of squats, those who might manage one, those who need to modify the challenge to make it their own, and those for whom a squat is simply no longer possible.

This challenge isn't about how strong your muscles are. It is about what we can achieve when we use our collective strength.

I have the enormous privilege of seeing firsthand just how much progress is being made in FSHD research. There are potential treatments in clinical development today that would have seemed almost unimaginable not so long ago. That gives me tremendous hope, but it also makes me more determined than ever to keep pushing.

Because progress doesn't happen by accident. It takes researchers, clinicians, biotechnology companies, donors, advocates, families and people living with FSHD all pulling in the same direction.

So this September, I am proud to be part of Team Cure FSHD.

My challenge may look a little different, but I will be doing it alongside our community and with the same purpose: to raise awareness, raise funds for research and remind people why finding effective treatments and ultimately a cure matters so much.

Most importantly, I want every person living with FSHD who sees this challenge to know that we are doing this with you and for you.

Every squat, every donation, every person who joins a team and every conversation we start brings more people into our fight.

One day, I hope we won't need to ask people to use their muscles for those who can't.

Until then, I'll keep doing everything I can to help get us there.

Emma 🧡
Team Cure FSHD