Chain-Gang Charity

The event: Members of the Orange County business community were “jailed” at a benefit for the Orange County Chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. About 50 people participated in the daylong “Lock Up” last week at Antonello Ristorante in Santa Ana.

Caging the jailbirds: After agreeing to be “incarcerated,” business people such as Bob Tallaksen, manager of Lloyd’s Pest Control in Santa Ana, were picked up by Big Al’s Limousine service and taken to the restaurant, where they were handcuffed, photographed and put behind bars.

But not for long. After a few minutes, they were invited to sit at dining tables set with cell phones. There they could raise “bail”--set at $1,000 or one hour of their time--by calling friends for donations to the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. “I got a whole stack of people to call,” Tallaksen said.

More than bread and water: If the inmates got hungry, there were gourmet sandwiches and a pasta buffet to choose from. The eats and jail space were donated by Antonello Ristorante. The volunteers appeared to enjoy the unusual break from their workday. “It feels great to help. I’d do this again in a minute,” said John Alberico of Newport Travel.

A mother’s story: Among the guests at the benefit were Lisa Ristow, 31, of Yorba Linda and her son, Charlie, 14 months, who suffers from the Duchenne form of muscular dystrophy. Duchenne is one of 40 chronic, progressive neuromuscular disorders that come under the term muscular dystrophy.

“At his routine 12-month checkup, the doctor did a blood test on Charlie because he wasn’t crawling,” Ristow said. “With Duchenne, the shoulder and the hip girdle are the first things to go. He couldn’t crawl because it involved those muscles.”

Doctors found that the boy’s muscles were breaking down into his bloodstream. A muscle biopsy confirmed that he did not have dystrophin in his muscles, Ristow said.

“Dystrophin is the protein needed to keep muscle intact. Charlie will be in a wheelchair by the time he is 5 years old. He has a rapidly progressive form of the disease, and children with it typically die before their 21st birthday.”

Learning of her only child’s illness was a horrible blow, Ristow said, her eyes filling with tears. “We don’t have any disease in our family, so it was a shock--a real shock,” she said. “We’re taking it one day at a time. We’re crying a lot and praying a lot. And we’re getting involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. This is my new hobby.”

Bottom line: Proceeds of about $15,000 from the event will go toward services for Orange County muscular dystrophy patients and their families. Services include a summer camp program, support groups, flu inoculation and transportation to Muscular Dystrophy Assn. clinics. Other services include genetic counseling and consultations for physical, occupational and respiratory therapy.

What’s next: A $125-per-person black-tie benefit auction Aug. 23 at Twin Palms in Newport Beach. Information: (714) 550-0161.