The Future Of 645

When my brother, Andy, was a young teenager, he was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Myopathy. His first noticeable symptom was relatively nonthreatening, ptosis, or drooping eyelids. After countless visits to a variety of specialists and much diagnostic testing, the diagnosis was confirmed. Every 30 minutes, a child is born who will develop a mitochondrial disease by the age of 10. The exact numbers are hard to determine because many go misdiagnosed, but the disease is approaching the frequency of childhood cancers. Prognosis depends upon the severity of the disease.

Mitochondria exist in almost every cell and produce 90% of the energy we need to function. With this group of diseases, the mitochondria fail and cannot convert food and oxygen into energy. The parts of the body needing the most energy are the heart, brain, muscles and lungs. They are the most affected by the disease. The age of onset and progression of symptoms varies greatly from type to type.

My brother has had numerous eye surgeries, some speech and swallowing difficulties, muscle fatigue, and has a pacemaker. He is one of those more fortunate because he is able to live a relatively normal life and has a beautiful wife and healthy son. Others are not as lucky.

I will work for your donations.  

This summer, June 15, I will be walking from Chicago, IL to Harrisburg, PA. I will not only be tested to my physical limits, but I have decided to combine this goal with the goal of raising money for my brother and awareness for a charity. I have chosen one which may not be familiar to a lot of you, but all too familiar to our family. It is the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation- UMDF.

For More info about me or my cause, please visit 
TheFutureOf645.com