Healthy Kids: Mitochrondial Disease

FORT MYERS, Fla. – September 20-26 is Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week.

To fight against mitochondrial disease you can participate in the 4th annual Butterflies of Hope Golf Tournament taking place Sunday, October 4 at 7 a.m. at the Pelican Preserve Golf and Country Club in Fort Myers. Tickets cost $80 including lunch.

There will also be an Energy for life Walkathon Saturday, November 14.

Facts about mitochondrial disease:

• Every 30 minutes, a child is born with mitochondrial disease.
• Almost as common as childhood cancer.
• Mitochondria are in almost all cells in the body except blood cells.
• Mitochondria produce 90 percent of the energy the body needs.
• Mitochondria failure = cell death = organ failure.

Diseases with defects in Mitochondrial function:

• Type 2 Diabetes
• Parkinson’s disease
• Alzheimer’s disease
• ALS
• Some cancers