Canton native honors late brother’s memory with book and heartfelt speech

In a moving and heartfelt keynote speech given at the Jett Foundation’s World Duchenne Awareness Day Luncheon in Quincy, Canton native Dr. Kevin Counterman proudly unveiled his newly finished novel, Breakfall, while paying tribute to the man who inspired it — his late brother, Michael.

Brothers Michael and Kevin Counterman and Fenway

“It was the joy and honor of my life to have had the opportunity to grow up alongside my older brother Michael,” Counterman told the assembled crowd. “Some of you had the opportunity to get to know him over the years. He had a ceaseless smile and an easygoing manner in an endless search for laughter and fun. Michael had a way of making the little moments seem so special.”

Born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy — a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness — Michael Counterman was raised in Canton and attended Canton Public Schools. He went on to earn his degree from UMass Boston and was a passionate advocate for Duchenne awareness and research, serving as a member of the Adult Advisory Committee for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) and meeting annually with members of Congress in Washington, D.C. to ensure the Duchenne community was included in policy decisions. He passed away on New Year’s Eve in 2020 at the age of 28.

At the recent luncheon, Kevin Counterman spoke candidly about his experiences growing up with a brother who had Duchenne, which he characterized as a “whole family disease.”

“I’m sure that all of you can relate to this, but so much of our life revolved around Michael,” Counterman acknowledged. “His appointments to doctors and therapists, his individualized education plans at school. There was the constant talk of wheelchairs and when he may need one, and as a sibling, it’s hard not to feel invisible.”

“But far worse than that feeling of being invisible is the feeling of guilt,” he said. “Guilt for your ability to walk, to run, to play, to grow strong and work toward your dreams while your brother only declines. And that feeling of guilt is quite insidious and it weighs on you, and it’s a weight I still carry with me today.”

While Michael attended Canton High School, his brother opted instead for BC High, graduating in 2013. He completed his undergraduate studies at Northeastern University and went on to earn his medical degree (DO) from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. He currently serves as a neurology resident at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

His brother’s years-long involvement with the Jett Foundation — a locally based nonprofit dedicated to supporting and empowering people and families impacted by Duchenne muscular dystrophy — has shaped both his clinical and personal interests, including his intended specialty of neuromuscular disorders as well as his decision to write Breakfall.

According to Counterman, he didn’t want the focus of the book to be solely about his own family but rather the Duchenne community as a whole. So he chose to write a fictional account centered on the Gallaghers — a family living in Boston in the 1960s and navigating life with Duchenne.

To help turn his vision into a reality, Counterman teamed with Buddy Cassidy, a 35-year-old patient advocate with Duchenne who is currently a PhD candidate in English literature at UC Irvine. Together, they set out to write the “Duchenne story” — a book with relatable themes and “shared experiences on each and every page.”

“Just as I can see myself in [the Gallagher] family, I hope that you can see yourself in them too,” Counterman told the attendees at the luncheon. “Rare diseases like Duchenne are isolating. It can feel like no one else in the world understands what you’re going through. I hope you can find a shared understanding in Breakfall. I hope that this book can make you feel less alone. I hope you can hear your voice within the text to know that your voice is heard.”

As much as the book is about a family living with Duchenne, it’s also about the community that rallies behind them, which is a direct nod to the experiences the Countermans had with organizations like the Jett Foundation.

Established in 2001 by Massachusetts residents Christine and Stephen McSherry after their son, Jett, was diagnosed with Duchenne, the foundation sponsors “transformative programming, educational opportunities, and ongoing support for every stage of a Duchenne journey.” Among its cornerstone programs are the Jett Giving Fund, which provides financial assistance and helps families purchase vital medical and accessibility equipment, and Camp Promise, a free summer camp and year-round program for teens and adults with neuromuscular disorders.

Recognizing how important experiences like Camp Promise were for his brother, and unwilling to use the trials and hardships of the Duchenne story for his own personal gain, Counterman said he will instead be donating 100 percent of all proceeds from the sale of Breakfall to the Jett Foundation.

As he explained during his keynote speech, “Michael taught me that if you have the opportunity do some good, then you should do it, and that’s what Jett is all about — doing good for our families and our community; helping move the needle forward and improve our quality of life.”

Counterman noted that the Jett Foundation also invests in research to help find “tangible treatments and cures” for Duchenne — a disease that primarily affects boys due to the mutation occurring on the X chromosome. As depicted in Breakfall, symptoms of the disorder typically appear in early childhood, with delayed walking, toe-walking, and frequent falls. Over time, boys with Duchenne lose the ability to walk and become reliant on a wheelchair. Eventually, by the third or fourth decade of life, the disease leads to respiratory and cardiac failure.

While there have been some recent advancements with gene therapies, there is currently no definitive cure for Duchenne, and the journey for those with the disorder is marked by continuous decline as they lose the ability to change their clothes, lift a glass of water, speak, chew, or swallow.

“And as the disease progresses,” noted Counterman, “it drains the family of every last ounce of energy. It chips away at our core, and over time you may find that the same things that once brought you together are now tearing you apart. But in light of this, the family rallies together. They find virtue and meaning in the most unlikely places. Together, the good outweighs the bad, the laughter offsets the tears, and hope shines through one another as we continue to fight for better days.”

Although it has been five years since Michael passed away, Counterman said he likes to think that his spirit is still with him — walking alongside him, guiding him, and lifting him up when the road gets difficult.

“He’d be proud of the progress that we’ve made,” Counterman said of his big brother. “He’d be proud of the strength that we have in the face of ongoing adversity, the fact that this community will not quit. That we will stand by one another, moving the torch forward together.”

“Michael did what so many of these young men with Duchenne do,” added Counterman. “He transcended his circumstance, and he found a lasting joy and peace.”

To learn more about Breakfall or to order a copy, go to breakfallbook.com. For more information about the Jett Foundation, see www.jettfoundation.org.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Sep 19 2025. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.