Join the Orange Slice Selfie Challenge!

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About the Challenge

Join the Orange Slice Selfie FacebookJoin the Challenge to Support FSHD Research Challenge in advance of World FSHD Day!

Participate in the challenge by joining the Facebook group and share an orange slice selfie each day for seven days, from June 14th to June 20th. Each participant will receive a free "I am stronger than FSHD" T-shirt. Take a new orange slice selfie each day – you can take them around town or in places you would usually smile at someone: on a walk in the park, at the grocery store check-out, at work or your place of worship, really anywhere! Get creative with your selfies and use the caption as a place to let others know about the impact of FSHD!

Why an orange slice?

This campaign is designed to stand out on social media with an eye-catching image representing a symptom experienced by many people with FSHD: the loss of the ability to smile.

A smile is universal. It is a simple gesture that can have a profound impact on our mental and physical well-being, as well as on the relationships we have with others. As a crucial nonverbal form of communication, the inability to smile can have a significant negative impact on a person's life, both socially and emotionally.

Yet for 1 million people around the globe living with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), the inability to smile is often a hallmark of the disease. The loss of a smile is just one of the debilitating effects of FSHD, a progressive genetic disease that leads to the weakening of skeletal muscles. Typically beginning in early teenage years with the loss of muscles in the face (facio), shoulders (scapula), upper arms (humerus), legs or core, FSHD can spread to any muscle. Around 20 percent will need a wheelchair by age 50. Over 70 percent experience debilitating pain and fatigue.

How do I join?

If you would like to participate in the challenge to raise awareness and resources to stop FSHD, just join the group for the challenge team HERE and follow the instructions to set up your donation page and request your free T-shirt. We can’t wait to see your selfies!