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Have you ever heard of Mitochondrial disease? Most people haven’t and it is a devastating, life-threatening disease that affects thousands and thousands of children and adults. Imagine a major city with half its power plants shut down. At best, such conditions would produce a “brown out” with large sections of the city working far below optimum efficiency. Now imagine your body with one-half of its energy producing facilities shut down. Your brain would be impaired, your vision would be dim, muscles would twitch spastically or would be too weak to allow your body to walk or write, your heart would be weakened, and you would not be able to eat and digest your food. For large numbers of people, especially children, this is precisely the situation in which they find themselves due to defects in the mitochondria, tiny structures found in every cell of our bodies which are responsible for the body’s energy production. Mitochondrial diseases severely compromise their lives and can be fatal. The day after our daughter Riley’s 2nd birthday, my precious little girl was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Disease. This debilitating disease causes her to be non-verbal, have abnormal brain function, gastrointestinal problems, muscle failure, and delayed development. She is now 5 years old and doctors are unable to tell us what her future holds. Our family copes with her disabilities through the help of multiple specialists and a special needs school. We are blesses to be surrounded by such wonderful people who provide us with much needed support. Please visit Riley's School: http://www.josephsamsschool.org This year we are please to announce that all proceeds from the Race For Riley 2009 will benefit the Joseph Sams School in Fayetteville, GA. (501.C3 organization) This is where Riley attends class everyday. She receives many therapies at her school. This is a very special place for Riley...a home away from home. Want to learn more about Mitochondrial disease? Thank you so much for your support!
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