Mitochondrial Disease Awareness

Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week is celebrated annually during the third week of September to educate and increase awareness about mitochondrial disease.

This year, Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week will be held September 15-21, 2019

Mitochondria in the cells throughout our bodies are responsible for creating more than 90% of the energy needed to sustain life and support organ function. When it malfunctions, organs start to fail – people get sick and even die. It’s a difficult disease to diagnose because it affects every person differently. Children and adults can have seizures, strokes, severe developmental delays; inability to walk, talk, see, digest food and a host of other complications. Science has linked mitochondrial dysfunction with major diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, autism and even the aging process itself.

What are Mitochondria?
• Mitochondria are tiny organelles found in every cell in the body except red blood cells.
• Mitochondria are known as the “powerhouse of the cell.”
• Mitochondria turn nutrients into cellular energy in the respiratory chain cycle.
• Mitochondria have their own independent genome (mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA)
• Mitochondrial failure causes cell injury that leads to cell death. When multiple organ cells die, organs begin to fail.

What is Mitochondrial Disease?
• Mitochondrial disease is a chronic, genetic disorder that occurs when the mitochondria of the cell fail to produce enough energy for cell or organ function.
• Many forms of mitochondrial disease are known, arising from defects in both the mtDNA and the cell’s nuclear DNA (nDNA).
• Mitochondrial disease can be inherited in a number of ways.
• Mitochondrial disease often presents very differently from individual to individual.
• One individual in a family or many individuals affected over a number of generations may be affected.

About 1 in 4,000 people has Mitochondrial Disease. It’s progressive and there is no cure, but there are treatments that can help with the symptoms.

This year, one local family is helping to spread awareness about mitochondrial disease. David and Stacy Taylor of Towson have two children affected by Mitochondrial Disease. On Saturday September 21, the close of Mitochondrial Disease Awareness week, David and Stacy will host a fundraiser to raise money for the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (UMDF). Really, they are raising money for the wheelchair van that they desperately need, but 10% of all proceeds will be donated to the UMDF to help support the quest for a cure. The United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (UMDF) focuses on coordination, communication and collaboration. UMDF's mission is to promote research and education for the diagnosis, treatment, and cure of mitochondrial disorders and to provide support to affected individuals and families. For more information about Mitochondrial Disease, the UMDF or the fundraiser, you can contact Stacy at taylor.stacy@gmail.com