Darius Goes West Foundation Sets Celebration to Raise Research Money

August 22-24 will commemorate the eight-year journey of an Athens native and 11 of his friends, as the community celebrates the anniversary of Darius Goes West (DGW) Day.

In 2005, Darius Weems, who developed a form of muscular dystrophy, decided to leave his hometown for the first time in his life. Then 15, Weems and his friends headed west to California, hoping to convince MTV to customize Weems’ wheelchair on its show, “Pimp My Ride.” 

The group of young men recorded their 3,000-mile journey on camera and created the documentary, Darius Goes West: The Roll of his Life. Since the documentary’s airing, Weems and director Logan Smalley have appeared on ABC Nightline, Ellen Degeneres, The Today Show, The CBS Early Show, and CNN.

Weems was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy(DMD),a genetic disorder that weakens the muscles. Weems has lost the use of both his legs to the disease. On Weems’ departure day, then-mayor Heidi Davison declared the day “Darius Goes West Day.” 

Since then, the Darius Goes West Foundation has hosted an annual celebration in Weems’ honor. The foundation strives to raise awareness about DMD.

 “Every year, we try to outdo the previous year, and this year, we want the celebration to be larger than life,” Smalley said.

This year’s celebrations will include a poker tournament, a drive in movie, a hip-hop concert staring Weems, and a 5K run. All the proceeds raised during Darius Goes West weekend will go to DMD research.

Now 23, Weems recently participated in a clinical research at John Hopkins for DMD, a feat that wasn’t possible when he traveled to California.

The journey for Weems began when Smalley, then 16, began working at a local camp where he met Weems’ older brother, Mario, who also had DMD. As one of his dying declarations, Mario begged Smalley to look out for Weems. Now, Weems tries to look out after other kids with DMD.

“Darius has dedicated most of his teenage years and adult life to raising awareness of this disease and raising funds for research,” said Barbara Smalley, manager of the Darius Goes West Foundation. “Today, Darius, and the foundation, have raised almost $2 billion for research. He often says that this movie is not only his legacy but as a way for him to pay it forward and a way to look out for all his little brothers, all the little boys with this disease.”