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| Vol. III, No. 2, November 21, 2005 | |
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Teens' Documentary Provides
Road Map for While most typical teenagers are learning to drive, attending cool parties, and going on hot dates, Darius Weems, a 16-year-old sophomore at Clarke Central High School in Athens, and some of his closest friends are making history by helping to improve the quality of life for the disabled. Weems and a team of 11 young men are on a collaborative mission to be heard—not just in Georgia but throughout the country—in efforts to raise awareness of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Weems, who was born with DMD, a terminal degenerative genetic disease, lost his brother, Mario, six years ago at the age of 19 to the same disease that is now testing his fate. DMD, which is caused by an absence of protein that helps keep muscles intact, is one of nine Muscular Dystrophies that deteriorate all voluntary muscles, including the heart. Shortly after his brother's death, Weems became wheelchair bound and was hit with the devastating reality of enduring the same symptoms he witnessed his brother go through. Concerned for Weems' quality of life, a group of his friends, including nine college students and two graduate students, decided to take Weems, who had never left the state of Georgia, on an adventure that he would never forget. In mid-July the crusaders rented a wheelchair-accessible RV and left Athens to begin their two-week, 7,000 mile cross-country tour-better known as the "Darius Goes West" project—where they toured more than 12 cities, from New Orleans to Los Angeles, assessing and documenting on film the wheelchair accessibility of some of the country's most notable cities and tourist sites. The trip through New Orleans was organized by the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitor's Bureau, which solicited businesses to provide lodging and food to the crew upon their arrival. Weems and his friends stayed at the Creole Gardens, a local bed and breakfast, and received meals from local restaurants. The team said one stop, the arch in St. Louis, unfortunately fell short of accommodating wheelchair bound visitors. However, they rated whitewater rafting in the Colorado River very high. The Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and California's Universal Studios, where they met Jay Leno, host of "The Tonight Show," were among some of the other noteworthy places they visited. Weems' friends anticipated reaching Los Angeles, where they hoped to "pimp" his wheelchair by getting him on MTV's popular show "Pimp My Ride"—the show where they take old, junky cars and fully "pimp," or equip them with the newest, coolest automotive technology—but it didn't happen. However, when he and his friends returned to Georgia, Weems was surprised with a new wheelchair that was completely customized, valued at $14,000 to $15,000 before all the bells and whistles were added. The print media in every market the tour visited had picked up the story of Weems' travels. The story generated donations from several organizations including the Children's Wish Foundation of Atlanta, which supplied the RV. Initially, the "Darius Goes West" project was just a road trip, but with Weems' encouragement and determination to make a difference, it evolved into a full-fledged documentary project. The film, which has intentions of a national release, has three key purposes: to raise awareness of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, to provide an American road map for all disabled and wheelchair travelers, and to tell the story of Weems' trip of a lifetime. United Cerebral Palsy has donated $25,000 toward the "Darius Goes West" project in honor of the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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