Guild Announcements
Please join us Saturday, September 13,
2008 for our 6th Annual 'Cure for Mito' Auction and Dinner at the majestic and
very private Nestle Training Center in Carnation, Washington. This historic 817-acre
facility, originally Carnation Farm, includes spectacular views, award winning gardens,
a fire pit and upscale overnight accommodations, all of which
will be available exclusively for our guests this evening. Please check out the
auction flyer or
auction page for more information.
Nestle Training Center Slideshow
Do you want to make a donation to the guild
through your annual giving campaign at work? Or, make donations directly to the
guild or donate items for the annual auction? Please visit the
donations page.
The Mitochondrial Research Guild of Children's
Hospital and Regional Medical
Center is pleased to announce funding for its first small grant program.
Visit our grants page to find out more.
What is Mitochondrial disease?
Imagine a plant that is unable to make use of the
sun and water surrounding it. Over time the plant will not
function properly and will show signs of distress, its leaves will
begin to wilt and eventually it could die. That is what happens to
people with mitochondrial disease.
Everyday, we consume food to make the energy our body needs to
function. If our mitochondria are not functioning correctly then
the body's organs begin to suffer.
A person's brain can be impaired, their vision could become
dim, their muscles can twitch spastically or they can become too
weak to walk or write, their heart could be weakened, and they
might not be able to eat and digest their food.
For large
numbers of people, especially children, this is precisely the
situation in which they find themselves due to defects in the
mitochondria.
Depending on which cells are affected, a child can
suffer from strokes, seizures, gastro-intestinal trouble,
blindness, deafness, muscle failure, diabetes, kidney and heart
trouble, developmental delays, immune system problems and liver
disease.
Whole systems within a body can begin to fail and the life of
the child is compromised, changed or ended.
Experts estimate that one in 2,000 babies may inherit some kind
of mitochondrial illness and some experts are saying that the
number could be as high as 1 in 1,000. 10% to 50% of these
children will die before their teenage years.
Currently there is no cure.
Defects in mitochondrial function have now been linked to many
of the most common diseases of aging including Alzheimers, and
Parkinsons.
For additional information on how you can help please contact Jill Herczog at
j.herczog@verizon.net or
Ashley Farrington at
a.farrington2@verizon.net. |