More than 600 people attended the 7th annual Dealing for Duchenne celebrity poker tournament and silent auction, raising $650,000 for the Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at UCLA. 

"American Idol" finalist Jessica Sanchez, the Canadian quartet The Tenors, and Grammy-winning musician/producer David Foster wowed the crowd with live musical performances at the gala, hosted by “Mad Men” actor, Joel Murray, at Sony Pictures Studios.

 
 
From left: Drs. Melissa Spencer, Stan Nelson and Carrie Miceli, the co-directors of the Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at UCLA; Dr. David Feinberg, president of the UCLA Health System; and Amy and Chris Martin.
 
 
 

Dr. David Feinberg, president of the UCLA Health System, CEO of the UCLA Hospital System and UCLA associate vice chancellor for health sciences, was presented with an award by Hard Rock Café co-founder, Peter Morton, for his support of the center.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy strikes one in 5,000 boys, weakening their muscles until they lose the ability to move and breathe on their own. Most of them are diagnosed by age 5, confined to a wheelchair by 12 and don’t survive past 25. UCLA’s center is one of a handful of facilities in the nation offering comprehensive care, clinical trials and translational research for Duchenne.