CLEMSON — A dreary, rainy day on Wednesday was not without its ray of sunshine, according to those in Clemson whose lives intersected that of Darius Weems.

“This has been unlike any other day I recall in Clemson,” said Mayor Larry Abernathy. “It’s a day of celebration, a day that showcases our community in a way I’ve never seen. All because a young man of 19 with a horrible disease chose to come here and share his dream with us.”

The young man at the center of it all was Darius Weems from Athens, Ga., who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, caused by the absence of a protein that keeps muscle cells intact. It is one of the more prevalent of the nine types of muscular dystrophy, according the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and usually is fatal before the victim reaches age 30.

Darius’s brother, Mario, in fact died as a result of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in 1989, at the age of 19. Darius soon after lost the use of his legs and has since had to use a wheel chair.

But the journey that brought Weems to Clemson Wednesday began in 2005, when a group of his friends discovered Weems never had seen mountains or an ocean, never had crossed a state line, and, in fact, never had ventured, that he could recall, out of Clarke County, Georgia.

They rented a wheelchair-accessible recreational vehicle and set out on a three-week cross-country journey to Los Angeles. The original goal was to convince the producers of the MTV show “Pimp My Ride” to customize Weems’ wheelchair. The trip, however, turned into a chance to raise awareness of DMD and its toll. The real achievement, though, was “Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life,” a documentary of the 7,000 mile trip.

Critics were not scanty with their praise.

“Certain to stir hearts,” raved Variety magazine. The Los Angeles Times described the film as “Equal parts ‘Animal House’ and ‘Stand by Me.’ This is a film about the inherent joys and madness of reaching any seemingly impossible goal.”

David Walker of DVD Talk reviewed it as follows. “Darius Goes West is not a depressing disease-of-the-week movie. In fact, if anything, the film is an amazing celebration of life.”

The film has garnered 28 film festival awards, making it the most decorated film of 2007.

On Sept. 1, Weems and his “crew,” the team that made the film, kicked off a campaign to sell 1 million DVDs of his film in one year. The goal was to raise $17 million for DMD research, from $17 of each $20 DVD going to the fund. To meet that goal, the group needs to sell 3,000 DVDs a day.

Bringing Weems to Clemson was the brainchild of Joan Borick of Clemson, who first saw Weems while attending her niece’s graduation in Athens. After seeing the film, she used it in the Sunday school class she teaches at Fort Hill Presbyterian Church. She made the contacts, arrangements followed, and Weems rolled into Clemson on Wednesday as part of a tour to promote the film and the cause of DMD research.

“This is a tremendous show of what our community can do,” Borick said at the crowded gathering for Weems on Wednesday at the Fort Hill Presbyterian Church meeting hall. “It shows that everybody can take part and make a difference.”

The gathering preceded a showing of the film at Clemson University’s Brooks Center and ended a whirlwind day that saw Weems that included a visit to the West End Zone, a roll Down the Hill at Memorial Stadium and a tour of Clemson with Mayor Abernathy aboard a wheelchair-accessible Clemson Area Transit bus. At the gathering, Abernathy presented Weems with a key to the city of Clemson.

“This city will always be open to you,” Abernathy said.

The mayor recounted how he faced the loss of his right leg 29 months ago, and added that Weems’ courage showed him “what a piddling problem” losing one leg was.

“Getting to know Darius and his ‘crew’ has been really refreshing,” Abernathy said.

Those wanting to be photographed with him always mobbed the man at the center of it all.

Asked his take on his day in Clemson, he answered with one word: “Unreal.”