State Personal Achievement Award Recipients

Initiated in 1992, the national awards program recognizes the accomplishments and community service of adults over 18 with disabilities related to any of the diseases in MDA’s program.

The awards were renamed in honor of Robert Ross, MDA’s longtime chief executive, who died in June 2006. Ross created the Personal Achievement Award program to educate the public that disability is no obstacle to accomplishment.

Each local MDA chapter selects a local recipient; all local recipients automatically are considered for a state award. Then, all state award recipients are considered for the national award, which is announced every year on MDA's Labor Day weekend show.

Click on any state to view a bio of its 2011 PAA recipient (ages reflect the recipient's age at the time the award was given in 2011).

U.S. Map

Alfredo Vega, 65
Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy
Silver City, N.M.

Alfredo Vega, who recently received a diagnosis of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD), has had a long and distinguished career as an educator in New Mexico public schools. He currently heads El Grito Head Start, and has served in a variety of administrative and teaching positions in both Silver City and Las Cruces. He belongs to a number of professional associations, as well as community organizations focusing on education and the arts.
Mary Jane Damiano, 54
Friedreich’s ataxia
Syracuse, N.Y.

Mary Jane Damiano has Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a neuromuscular disease that causes muscle weakness and loss of balance and coordination. She uses a power chair for mobility and has an assistance dog, Emma, as her constant companion. Damiano earned two college degrees and is now studying law online. She is very active as a community service volunteer, participating in fundraising and awareness events for MDA and other organizations that advocate for the rights of the disabled. She also has volunteered for the Red Cross for many years.
Tabitha Estrellado, 27
Spinal muscular atrophy
New York City, N.Y.

Tabitha Estrellado’s parents learned she has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) when she was 9 months old. Now a young adult, she uses a power chair for mobility, and has limited use of her arms and hands. Estrellado graduated from Pace University with highest honors in 2006 and currently works for New York Life insurance company. She recently started an employee organization for workers with disabilities and their advocates. Besides being active in MDA events, Estrellado also is a singer-songwriter who has performed at several venues around the city.
Kimberly Christensen, 60
Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy
Wilmington, N.C.

Kimberly Christensen has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD), which causes weakness and atrophy of the muscles around the shoulders and hips. She uses a wheelchair for mobility and is aided by her service dog, Larkin. Christensen is well-known in the Wilmington area for her tireless work as an advocate for people with disabilities. She has joined forces with a number of organizations, such as the disAbility Resource Center, to help educate the public about the barriers people with disabilities face and to illustrate how they can live more independently. A longtime ally of MDA, Christensen has been involved in numerous fundraising initiatives.
Dustin Kromarek, 31
Friedreich's ataxia
Bismarck, N.D.

With a sister who also has Friedreich's ataxia (FA) and a brother who died from the disease, Dustin Kromarek knows intimately the challenges of living with muscle disease that causes muscle weakness, loss of balance and coordination. Diagnosed with FA at age 7, Kromarek lost his sight during his freshman year of college, but persevered and earned a degree in social and behavioral science. Currently, he serves as a motivational speaker at churches and schools, makes visits of encouragement to local hospitals, and volunteers at a home for emotionally troubled children. Kromarek uses a power chair for mobility.
Mary Jane Stumpf, 68
Myotonic muscular dystrophy
Loveland, Ohio

Mary Jane Stumpf has myotonic muscular dystrophy (MMD), which causes atrophy in muscles of the neck, face, lower arms and lower legs. She received her diagnosis in 1999, after her son, then 26, learned he has the disease. Stumpf continued operating her successful nurse staffing company until 2008. Now retired, she keeps busy advocating for people with disabilities. She worked with the City of Cincinnati to ensure safe and accessible parking for people with disabilities, and was a member of the Closing the Health Gap Committee in Cincinnati, which assists people who are disabled to maintain their rights.
Don Strahorn, 54
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Midwest City, Okla.

Founder of a successful landscaping business with his brother, Don Strahorn retired in 2007 after receiving a diagnosis of ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease). Strahorn remains active in volunteer work in his hometown of Midwest City, and participates frequently in support groups at the MDA/ALS clinic in Oklahoma City. He and his wife of 34 years, Lynda, have four children and seven grandchildren.
Kristen Ware
Friedreich's ataxia
Eugene, Ore.

Kristen Ware has Friedreich's ataxia (FA), a neuromuscular disease that causes muscle weakness and loss of balance and coordination. Ware's speech also is affected by FA, and she uses a power chair for mobility. Ware attended Oregon State University in Corvallis, where she served as a leader of a sorority and an intern in a campus accessibility office. Ware currently volunteers with the Eugene Ballet Company and has performed in productions put on by DanceAbility, a dance program for people with disabilities. She also serves as a mentor for young people with disabilities and recently received the Courage Award at a local MDA event.
Deanne Gerber, 40
Myasthenia gravis
Fredericksburg, Penn.

Deanne Gerber's myasthenia gravis (MG) has caused difficulties with her swallowing and breathing, as well as generalized muscle weakness that requires the use of a wheelchair at home and a scooter on the job. She works in accounts payable at Harrisburg Area Community College, and in her spare time plays bass in a Christian band called Hearts Afire. She also is active with MDA, volunteering for both the Lebanon Lock-Up and the Ride for Life. For the past five years she has organized the Poker Run, a group motorcycle ride averaging 100 miles roundtrip that raises funds for MDA.
Shane Bourque, 19
Becker muscular dystrophy
Hope Valley, R.I.

Shane Bourque has Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), which causes muscle weakness and atrophy. He recently finished his first year at Rhode Island College, majoring in journalism and broadcasting. Since receiving his diagnosis at age 7, Bourque and his family have been very active in a variety of MDA events. In addition to serving two terms as MDA Goodwill Ambassador for Rhode Island, Bourque has been involved with the local broadcast of the MDA Labor Day Telethon. He and his family were featured nationally during the 2003 Telethon in Los Angeles. Over the years, he has been actively involved in many MDA fundraisers.