This should touch your heart.....Meet Emma

A few weeks ago Angie and I were able to attend a Mito meeting (support group). Here is a sweet and precious little girl Emma who really touched my heart.Meeting these children that day really showed me the REAL reason we run and wanted to put this 5k together. I hope that each of you will support the MitoWhat?5K on March 27th at USA Stadium.If you can't attend you can still support the mitochondrial disease foundation by registering for the 5k. All proceeds go to UMDF to help find a cure for this terrible disease.To visit the MitoWhat blog go to http://www.mitowhat5k.blogspot.com/, you can also register for the 5k from there.
Here is Emma's story:
Emma LaCroix is a happy 8 year old who enjoys eight year old activities...family vacations, playing on her baseball team, fishing and hunting with her dad, cooking with her mom. No one would know by those smiles that she faces many challenges every day. Emma was born full term and has always been her parent's pride and joy. Emma was a poor feeder as an infant. By three months of age, doctors began to notice some developmental delays. Then came the onset of seizures. Later, respiratory difficulties and frequent infections became a part of her life. After 18 long months of evaluation at three major medical centers, Emma was diagnosed with a form of mitochondrial disease called cytochrome c oxidase deficiency. She has very weak muscles and is in a wheelchair. She undergoes physical/speech/occupational therapy, has frequents seizures, is G-tube fed and receives multiple breathing treatments and medications throughout the day. As you can see, her smile remains infectious and she brings joy to those that surround her. She has a lot to teach us all about life....live each day to it's fullest! We continue to hope and pray for a cure someday for Emma and all those affected by mitochondrial disease.

From 2009

From 2009

From 2009