January 29, 2014 – YA Chit Chat

9-year old author, Makenzie Lawrey has a dream…finding a cure for Mitochondrial disease. She even wrote a book to help raise $1 million for research.

You see, Makenzie’s brother, 6-year old Gavin, has Mitochondrial disease. He can’t play like normal 6-year olds. Hospitals visits and medications are the norm, not soccer practice and conquering the jungle gym at the park. Gavin even has a service dog to help detect his seizures.

This is not the life we imagine for a 6-year-old boy. It certainly isn’t the life little Makenzie wants for her little brother.

What exactly is mitochondrial disease? From the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation website:

Mitochondrial diseases result from failures of the mitochondria, specialized compartments present in every cell of the body except red blood cells. Mitochondria are responsible for creating more than 90% of the energy needed by the body to sustain life and support growth. When they fail, less and less energy is generated within the cell. Cell injury and even cell death follow. If this process is repeated throughout the body, whole systems begin to fail, and the life of the person in whom this is happening is severely compromised. The disease primarily affects children, but adult onset is becoming more and more common.

So much more research needs to be done to find a cure. Please, will you help Makenzie raise her goal of $1 million to help find a cure for her brother and so many other children like him? All proceeds from her book, MIGHTY MITO SUPERHERO, will go to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation.

Stand up and cheer for this precious 9-year-old hero and her unwavering love and dedication to her little brother. You can purchase MIGHTY MITO SUPERHERO by clicking on the Amazon link below, and from my heart to yours…thank you for your support. Together, we can find a cure.