An advertisement in Time magazine in 1981 showed portraits of Yousuf’s gallery of famous people. One spot remained empty. Yousuf told the world he had never met this special person. Yousuf was reserving the space “for the person who discovers the cure for muscular dystrophy”.
Estrellita had spent time at a camp for children with disabilities. She was aware of the problems young people with MD had. Yousuf had wanted to become a doctor to help people. As a gifted photographer, he knew he could help the team fighting MD. He did not usually photograph children, but for many years, beginning in 1963, he gave his time and talent to the cause. He photographed the child chosen to represent all children with MD. The photographs were used on posters to help raise money.
One photograph of a boy, Paul Hawkins, in a wheelchair catches him having a quiet moment with Jerry Lewis. Lewis is the famous comedian who championed the MD campaign.
Yousuf found the MD poster children were lit with “faith in the goodness of life...” He said, “This makes the rest of us redouble our efforts to translate their faith into reality.” Estrellita and Yousuf saw the Solange Gauthier-Karsh Laboratory open in 1995 at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa. Research could be carried out on Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Becker muscular dystrophy that affects young males.
Muscular dystrophy, or MD, is a group of diseases that has no cure. Some types affect children. Each type of MD is caused by a defect in a gene that causes the loss of a protein that muscles need or has another damaging effect on muscle tissue. Bodies need muscles to help them crawl, sit, stand, breathe and keep the heart beating. In some cases, people with MD die while still young. In other cases, people with MD live long lives and adapt to what their bodies can do.
Famous comedian Jerry Lewis sits with Paul Hawkins and perhaps thinks about the future of children, such as Paul, who cope with MD.