I enjoy the CBS Sunday Morning Program. Recently I watched the annual Eat, Drink and Be Merry episode. (I also enjoy food) and I saw a story about the origin of baby carrots. It got me thinking…
So many world changing ideas start out as something else. I learned that a farmer in California, who happens to run the biggest carrot farm in the country, got tired of throwing away carrots that didn’t grow pretty. Back in the late 1980’s, as he was throwing away 30% of his deformed carrots, he decided that people may want to receive smaller carrots for cooking that were already peeled and chunked. He purchased some farm equipment that was used for processing beans and repurposed it to cut carrots into smaller pieces to minimize waste, and also skin them to maximize sales to homes and restaurants allowing them to cut down on prep time. He called them baby carrots and began to market them in the early 1990’s. What happened next is the cooler part.
Upon the launch of the baby carrot, almost no one cooked them but instead, found them to be a fun, healthy snack food. Many people, even now, think that baby carrots are some kind of hybrid seed, or have been genetically modified. Neither is true. They are simply carrots cut smaller, hiding the fact that they didn’t look pretty coming out of the ground. The farmer, now an older, wiser, richer man, was laughing as he recalled that he never imagined little carrots to be a snack food, but he revealed that in a carrot survey (yup, that’s a thing), 70% of people responded that they only buy baby carrots, and never purchase full size. My family had cooked baby carrots on Christmas, and if I had known this story then, I would have regaled my relatives with this fun tale at the dinner table. Now you can. You’re welcome.
What is my point? If you have a good idea, take steps to advance it and you may be surprised at where it goes. Big or small, it will change the world like ripples in a pond moving outward from the landing of a stone. As I read about Gates, Musk, Bezos, and Jobs, all of them have that same fact in common: It was just an idea that ran wildly out of control in ways none of them could fathom when they hatched the plan.
I am certainly not comparing myself to any of these guys, but my idea with the group of adults I am currently working with is the same. Let’s see where it goes in 3, 5, and 10+ years. This group, called the Patient Adult Advisory Committee (PAAC) all live with Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy. I did not start the group, nor was it my idea (props to Annie Kennedy for that), but I now lead it and have helped it grow from 15 members in 2020 to almost 40 today. We range in age from 18 to 63 and live all over the country. Affiliated with Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, a non-profit founded by an Ohio mom AFTER she lost both of her teenage boys to Duchenne, we aim to raise awareness of MD life. The PAAC speaks with members of Congress regarding federal spending on MD, as well as language in Bills to help society advance its views of disabled adults. We network with medical clinics to let others living with DMD/BMD know that they are not alone, and not without hope. Most important, we support each other. I have made lifelong friendships with many PAAC members, and have gotten to know their families well. What began as a small support group has turned into a powerful unified voice of individuals who are making a lasting mark in able-bodied society.
What these individuals learn is that they are experts. No group in history has lived as long as people today with Duchenne and Becker. There were outliers years ago who lived beyond their 30’s, but, due to advances in care, this has become the norm. The current generation of individuals with Duchenne and Becker plan for college, employment, relationships and other things that “ables” predicted wouldn’t happen. I am proud to help them use their voices to show society that disability is simply part of life, but need not be viewed with negative stigma.
The lofty goal? All individuals living in the United States with Duchenne and Becker will know about the PAAC. Like baby carrots, give us time and we will be everywhere. You can help. The link below talks about what we do, and you can read about current members. Perhaps you have a current or future PAAC-ER in your area.
Stay safe, stay awesome, stay tuned, and check out what we do: https://www.parentprojectmd.org/get-involved/connect/for-young-adults/
Patrick moeschen 