Support for Teens living with Mito

"But you don't look sick!" is a project funded by MitoAction in partnership with Anne Reckling, PsyD and Reed Elsevier Cares International. Interviews with teens living with mitochondrial disease will be available here as digital audio files and text documents. We are working to create a dedicated support area for these extraordinary teens.

But wait, there's more...!

Many young people living with Mito tell us that their disease is "invisible", and that they often feel alone in their struggle to "be normal" while dealing with the unpredictable symptoms of their disease.

In truth, these young people are not alone! The children of the last decade who were diagnosed with mitochondrial disease are growing into their adolescence, sometimes defying the odds against them. These teens are painfully aware of their prognosis, and yet choose to make the most of the life that they were given.

Consider their stories:

• Brianna, is a black belt in tae kwon do and attends a performing arts school, despite a crisis in January that required an emergency pacemaker
• Donovan thrives on his workout every day, and is not only muscular and fit, but also helps a younger child with Mito in his Maine community. He takes the Mito cocktail every day.
• Olivia missed 120 days of school this year, but enjoys fencing and met Antonio Banderas
• Harry just graduated high school and has plans to go to medical school. 70% of his vision has been lost due to Mito.

Each year, we lose a few children, teens, and adults that we know and care about to mitochondrial disease. We also hope that pharmaceutical companies and supporters of MitoAction like Edison and Sirtris Pharma, grow closer to a cure each day. In the meantime, we exist in order to serve the mitochondrial disease patient community by empowering and educating all.

We cannot do it alone.

We need your help.

MitoAction needs your donations to bring 15 teens and their families to Boston on September 20th for an opportunity to grow together during a retreat sponsored by MitoAction and conducted by Next Step at the Boston Royal Sonesta Hotel. Following the retreat, these teens and their families can participate in the 4th annual MitoAction walk, to be held September 21st 2008 along the Charles River in Cambridge, MA.

Ways to give:

• Make a donation - designate your donation for "teens". Every bit makes a difference!
• Donate frequent flyer miles to MitoAction (contact us)
  
• Ask for support in your community for this project - from fundraisers to corporate donors.
  

Our hope is that we can offer this life-changing opportunity with mimimal cost to the family, and that this will be the first of many successful gatherings. This year, we extend our support to the adolescents living with mitochondrial disease in hopes that in the future we can reach out to the adults patients, the siblings, the parents, and the bereaved.

Thank you for your support!

Email us for corporate partnership opportunities or additional questions.