Meet Christian DeRiemer

Christian is 17 and is a teenager just like all other teenagers, with one exception. He has muscular dystrophy and is dependent on mechanical ventilation, a feeding tube, and a motorized wheelchair among other medical equipment since the age of almost three.

Christian heads for school on the bus

Christian's diagnosis has left him with weakened muscles to the point that he is completely dependent on his caregivers for his every need, except that is, for playing video games. He's the darnedest one-handed Nintendo player you've ever seen! His disease is progressive, but slowly so, thank goodness.

He is an intelligent young man with quite the sense of humor. He attends East High School part time, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and will be a 10th grader in September. He enjoys the things that most teens do... going to the mall, playing video games, watching movies, girls, and one of his favorites, “Saturday Night Live”.

Christian is a loving child with a wisdom beyond his years. Those who meet him or spend time with him always come away with a special feeling; one of humor, patience (within limits... he is a teenager after all!), and that it's a privilege to know him. Christian will have his first poem published soon. It is entitled “The Game of Fear”.