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State Representative Jim Buchy
Mitochondrial
Disease Awareness
September is Mitochondrial disease awareness month in memory of western
Ohio’s own Corynna Strawser. Corynna dedicated her life to raising
awareness for this rare and devastating disease and in her honor Senate
Bill 300 was passed to allow us to carry on her fight.
Mitochondrial disease, Mito for short, is an inherited chronic illness
in which the mitochondria of the infected cells fail to produce enough
energy for the organ or organelle to function properly. The
disease often shows at birth but has also been known to develop through
out a life time. Today 1 in 4,000 Americans live with mitochondrial
disease.
Because the disease has no cure, it is important to recognize and help
those who suffer from it. Mito causes insurmountable physical,
developmental and cognitive disabilities. Treatments are available but
current methods can only slow the disease’s progression and mitigate
its symptoms.
Senate Bill 300 was carried by Senator Beagle and Senate President
Keith Faber. Having watched Corynna grow up I was humbled to manage
this bill when it came to the house. The bill passed with overwhelming
support before eventually being signed into law by Governor John Kasich
on June 17th 2014.
It is our duty to help those in our community in any way we can. Senate
Bill 300 and Mitochondrial disease awareness month serve the purpose of
getting the general public aware of this very serious disease. The more
people who know about the disease and actively pursue new cures and
treatments the more likely we are to save those who suffer from it in
the future.
Please give me your opinion on this topic and others in the news this
month by completing an online survey at tinyurl.com/buchyaugust2015
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