2nd annual Fundraising Auction for mito research

[Guest guest]

Last year, three families of kids affected by mito in the local area started a Guild at Seattle's Children's Hospital. It is a specialty guild, called the Mitochondrial Research Guild. Our purpose is to raise awareness of mito to local doctors and the community, as well as raise funds for research at our local hospital. We are blessed to have Dr. Russ Saneto, a mito specialist (neurologist/epileptologist) at Children's. Some of you may know of him from the MDA mito chats. He also serves on the scientific board of the UMDF. You may have read some of his UMDF newsletter articles (Management Strategy for Acute Illness in Patients with Mitochondrial Cytopathy, Spring, 2000, and Epilepsy, Abnormal Movements, and Mitochondrial Cytopathies, Summer 2002). Dr. Saneto trained under Dr. Cohen at the Cleveland Clinic and is now at Seattle's Children's Hospital.

Our first annual Dinner and Auction was held September of last year and with the help of a matching donor, we raised over $120,000! Now the work begins on the second annual event to be held September 10, 2004! Again we are blessed to have a donor who will match funds for us. Dr. Saneto and the members of the Guild are hoping to raise enough funds to eventually enable Children's to conduct fresh muscle biopsies. As you all know, the need for another location to diagnose and help mito patients is critical!

If anyone would like to assist us in procuring items for the auction, that would be terrific! Perhaps you know an artist or perhaps you or your friends have a business who would be willing to donate an item for this great cause. Just contact me directly at rella19@.... You may also view our website at www.nwmito-research.org. If you live in the Seattle area and would like to assist us in our local efforts, please contact me as well.

Thanks! Praying for all our kids,

Cindy Cruz (mom to Seth, 12, and Ben, 8, both mito patients)