Ellen surprises "Darius Goes West" film makers with a cruise for 12 to the Caribbean.
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Wednesday, January 2, 2008 • 5:30 AM • 
Cruisin' RT @TheEllenShow
Ellen surprises "Darius Goes West" film makers with a cruise for 12 to the Caribbean.
Next Story: Check Out This Wizz Kid
I wanted to let you know about a vote that Darius is in on Facebook. He was one of 25 organizations that advanced in Chase community giving. He will now be competing for one million dollars. The vote starts January 15 and goes until January 22. Look for Darius Goes west on the voting page and vote! Thanks!
Ellen,
I had the pleasure of meeting Darius and the rest of the crew on the Celebrity Cruise. They were the highlight of the trip! They are an amazing group of guys and I hope to see them all again soon. By the way...you should have them back on the program to show their funky dance moves! Thanks for sending them on the cruise.
I have just recently met these 12 guys. They are doing a tour to high schools and colleges. They recently visited my school and talked about the film that every health class in the school watched.
Because my health teacher was in charge of the event, we got to spend 45 minutes with the whole crew, including Darius after the assembly while they were eating lunch. They are all so down-to-earth young men. They were so nice letting us sit at their tables and talk to them. It was so casual.
It was truely a once-in-a lifetime oppurtunity to get to meet Darius and hear him speak about the film. He's living his life as an average 19 yr old.
Wow, i gotta say. At first when i started watching the show i was'nt to fund of it.But it's grown on me and i just wanted to say that its nice to see that you give people a chance, a chance to show what they can do or what they stand for. Not like those money focused shows or that awful Ricky lake, gives me the creeps :P, Keep up the good job.
Greetings from Sweden!
Ellen, My mom called to tell me of your show. I immediately pulled it up and watched it. Wow!! My son was diagnosed with DMD at 18 months of age due to an ongoing illness that landed him in the hospital. After i watched the show and then again reading about Darius on line, i cried tears of happiness as well as sadness. I thank all those boys who thought enough of themselves, as well as Darius, to be better than the rest around them. It is very seldom that you actually see this anymore. I pray that my blessed son is lucky enough to have even one friend with the capacity to see the world the way Darius and the rest of the boys do. I get choked up when i think about Darius' family and of their loss, but in the next second my heart soars with pride at how well Darius, himself, handles his life. Bravo to you Darius, and to your amazing friends. And Ellen, as always, even if i cant watch you most of the time (us military folk) i applaud you right along with my mom and the rest of the world.
I am a proud mom of a son with ABILITIES!!! He changed my life from someone who never slowed down for a second to someone who cherishes every second of life!!!! The best to all the families who are with us in this fight!!
I also wanted to thank Ellen for the segment with Darius and friends. My brother suffered from DMD and passed away at age 20, almost 10 years ago. We miss him terribly. Reading the above comments of other children with DMD has brought back happy and sad memories.
God bless Darius and his AMAZING friends for such a huge gift they have given Darius and themselves, they will never forget the time they spent with their special friends. I would also have to assume that when Darius was gone on his trip his parents/caregivers were given a much needed "vacation". There is a special place in heaven for them!!
Good luck on all future endeavors Darius and friends, and let's all hope and pray for continuous research for DMD and possibly eliminate this disease for good!
God bless!
Jenny Stewart
PS Ellen you are so good to have such great visitors on your show, and also bring attention to issues that people may not be aware of otherwise! THANK YOU!!
I started this email and I might have sent it partially complete. So here it goes again.
Thank you for featuring Darius and his incredible friends. I am a College teacher at Georgian College in Orillia ON Can. I teach in The Early Childhood Education Program and most specifically Early Intervention. In my Monday class we will be discussing inclusion. I hope to be able to play this segment of the show to illustrate the benefits of inclusion. Just imagine Darius' life 10-15 years ago. He would have been segregated from this incredible group of friends because of his disability. Imagine their loss. This is a win win situation and such a great example of the benefits of inclusion in our society for people with special needs. I am hoping at least one of my students will do their reseach project on DMD and there will be 50 more people who have an awareness of this disease. Thanks Again Ellen and Crew. You Rock!!!
Kelly Leishman
Ellen:
First, I love your show! I was not surprised when my friend mentioned that you had Darius Wiems and Logan Smalley on your show. I knew if any talk show host would do this, it would be you. Thank you for having them. I appreciate the true compassion you show for others.
My son too has this dreadful disease. While I was devastated to learn of my son's diagnosis, he has been a true blessing in my life. He complains very little and is a very spiritual young man. When asked by Make-A-Wish, what he wished for, he said, "Well, my wish would be for no poverty and hunger, but I know that probably won't come true. I was shocked and will never forget what he said. If only I could be so unselfish. I have watched the "Darius Goes West" documentary. It just amazes me to see how unselfish these boys are. Darius, like my Alex, has a wonderful spirit. While he is so limited, he just loves life and enjoys every minute. My wish would be for all of us to be so full of life.
Thanks again for having them and helping raise awareness about this devastating disease. You rock.
CT of Lincoln NE
P.S. Alex was granted a Make-A-Wish to Disneyworld. He is a science guy and absolutely loved the Universe of Energy ride that featured YOU!
Ellen: Would LOVE to have YOU come to sunny Myrtle Beach! Come and walk the beach with me!
Love your show and love you to pieces! You are the whole enchilada! God Bless YOU, Audrey
My son Cameron, 9 years old, also is a victim of this unfair disease. My husband and I watched the Darius segment of your show with tears flowing. Partly because of the amazing commitment made by those young men who Darius can proudly call friends. I have to give kudos to those young men who put friendship above hardship. One very difficult thing for boys with the duchenne's is to make friends. That is because they can't keep up and do the things "normal" boys are doing so they get left behind. I pray everyday that my son will find friends who will take the time to know and love him despite his disease. Darius and his friends have given me hope for that. What a wonderful thing for you to do Ellen by rewarding those young men for having the heart and compassion to care for a person with the needs Darius has.
My son, a big Dallas Cowboys fan, wants to go to the Superbowl - especially if the Cowboys go. It seems like a tall order and probably won't happen this year. However, Darius' wonderful friends have inspired me to find a way and showed me that anything is possible. I'll be saving my pennies and working on getting my guy to the Superbowl next year.
Thanks Ellen for showing a great story that needs to be told. It gives a little hope to many of us who deal with this terrible fate.
Love and prayers to Darius and all his friends! What they have done is so important and means so much to the generations behind them. I will pray for them that they are able to keep the faith and their great outlook on life - no matter what its quality. God bless!
Cammy's Mom - Lori Thurman
Hi Ellen - I cannot begin to thank you enough for hosting Darius and Logan on your show and highlighting this wonderful story. I was in tears watching it and seeing it again today highlighted on your website. Our family also has been affected by this awful disease. My 9 year nephew, Cameron was diagnosed and since his diagnosis, his mother Lori, who is my sister, and her family live day in and day out with the never ending fear of Cameron's uncertain future.
My personal goal with Cameron and all affected by DMD now is to do as much as we can to help raise funds and awareness about DMD and to aid with the research efforts in finding a cure. Our family held a fundraiser in my hometown just last month to raise money to help Cameron and his family with his past medical expenses and to bring awareness about DMD. It is amazing how wonderful so many people here were in supporting Cameron.
Darius, Logan, and the entire group of young people involved surely bring hope to us all that with some will and alot of love, amazing things can be done. They are all an inspiration! I cannot wait to see the documentary. Thank you so much for providing them with the cruise - I can't think of anyone more deserving of this trip!
My sister Lori (Cameron's mother) and I have a favorite quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “The future depends on what we do in the present”. This is wonderful proof that we can all make a difference in the future of so many people that have been struck with this life threatening disease.
I would ask that anyone out there that was touched by this story purchase the "Darius Goes West" DVD once it is available, as proceeds benefit DMD research. Also, please visit these websites to learn more about DMD and how they can help aid the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Cure Duchenne Organization with their amazing work and research efforts being done.
www.mdausa.org
www.cureduchenne.org
Thank you so much for inspiring so many with this story and thank you to Darius, Logan, and the entire group of young people for giving us hope, and reminding us that the greatest gift we can give while on this earth is making a difference in the lives of others.
God bless you all in this new year!
Lisa Kennedy - Johnstown, Ohio
Dear Ellen--Thank you so much for highlighting Darius Goes West and Duchene.My 5 year old grandson was recently diagnosed with DMD and we have found not many people are aware of this horrific disease so thank you for spreading awareness. We need advocacy so that government will fund as much money for research for DMD (which is the leading fatal genetic disease in children) as they do on other children's diseases. Thank you again for your compassion and caring. We will have a showing Jan.5th in Exeter N.H of Darius Goes West with all funds going to research. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts. Lukey's Grandma--Joanne Haswell
How wonderful to meet another young man with an outlook on life like my son. Also to know young people do give back. Kudos to you Ellen for giving him a trip. You see my 16 year old son Luke who Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy as well has a dream since we live in Alaska (the 49th state) wants to travel the "lower 48" what we call the states from up here. He wants to see the Grand Canyon, our Capitol and a live Nascar Race. Now I know how to make that happen for him.
Love to you.
Misty (Luke's Mom)
Forgot to add, that all that love and kindness you show is amazing. And, You gotch some moves too...You Go ELLEN. A heart of Gold w/many blessings to come your way...and yes, I'm still in tears over Darius and his tenacious attitude and You and your giving back "Warm Soul" You'll be in my prayers from now on..along with the World....
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Wonderful post. I learned many interesting things. Thank you)
Posted by Ethan | September 15, 2011 5:19 AM