Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week is a week dedicated to tell the stories of mito patients and their families, celebrate their successes and raise awareness of Mitochondrial Disease nationwide. To date, 11 states have a resolution dedicated to the week. Some of those resolutions are permanent. Some states require the resolution be renewed yearly. Three states have legislation pending for a resolution. You can help, here are three key points to keep in mind:
1. Mitochondrial disease is a severe problem. Every 30 minutes a child is born in the US with a mitochondrial disease.
2. Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and the aging process itself.
3. The UMDF is the leading non-government contributor of grants towards research to find better treatments or a cure. Since 1996, the UMDF has contributed $6 million towards research.