The freedom to run and walk. To hug. To play. To button a shirt or brush one's teeth. To talk. To breathe. These are just some of the everyday freedoms that can be taken away by neuromuscular diseases. At the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), our mission is to free individuals - and the families who love them - from the harm of living with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related life-threatening diseases that take away physical strength, independence and life. Neuromuscular diseases affect more than 1 million individuals in the U.S. , with 40 percent of those affected under the age of 18.