Suneel Ram doesn’t like being dependent on others.

But because of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the 12-year-old Amherst boy often has to.

Suneel depends on his mother to dress and bathe him, and often to get around; the once-active boy who enjoyed sports now relies on a wheelchair to travel even short distances.

“It’s hard for me to do things by myself,” said Suneel, a sixth-grader at Heim Middle School, where he enjoys social studies and science. “I hope I get cured so I can be more independent.”

That’s the dream of every boy with Duchenne, which only effects males, and every parent whose child has it. Suneel’s mother, Dr. Neera Manning, has worked tirelessly to support a cure and now believes medical help is really on the way.

“There is definitely going to be an effective treatment and cure. I actually am confident now that my son will have an improved life expectancy and a good quality of life,” Manning said.

Manning has traveled to five states and two countries, including the Netherlands, where research seems to be most promising, she said, to make contact with researchers and get the inside story on what’s occurring with Duchenne research.

“I’m hoping that within two years there will be something that’s good for Suneel,” said his mother.

Last year, Suneel’s Light Foundation, which Manning started in 2005, gave $80,000 to a leading Australian genetic researcher to aid his efforts.

Toward advances in research, a fundraiser, Tailgate for a Cure, will be held beginning at 1 p. m. Sunday in Samuel’s Grande Manor, 8750 Main St., Clarence. The Bills game will be shown on a giant projection screen, and there will be a pregame buffet and live music from the Boys of Summer. Tickets are $40.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by a progressive weakening of the muscles. It is the most common lethal genetic childhood disease, usually leading to death from respiratory or heart failure by one’s early 20s.

Suneel is treated with steroids, which have had to be increased despite carrying medical risks, to help him maintain strength and function. Manning said his small size — he’s about 3 feet tall and weighs around 60 pounds — and lack of physical mobility contribute to social isolation.

“The distance between him and the other kids is getting wider,” Manning said. “So, it means the world to him when he can go to a friend’s house and play, and when people can do things with him, and help him, but not make him feel bad about it.”

Suneel is in the French, art and chess clubs at school and sings in the Buffalo Niagara Youth Chorus, where he had a solo last year, Manning said.

“He’s just like all the other kids, really,” she said. “He has this disease, but he’s fun; he wants to do things and with a little bit of assistance he can do a lot.”

For information or to send a tax-deductible donation, call 880-5590 or visit

www.suneelslight.org

.