The thoughts and prayers of the entire mitochondrial disease community are with Charlie Gard and his mother and father, Chris Gard and Connie Yates. They have decided to withdraw their request to have little Charlie treated with an experimental therapy. Medical experts have told the family it would not be effective for him. This is a heartbreaking situation that no parent should ever have to face. The path the Gard family has had to follow has been complicated and very difficult.
There are more than 200 different forms of mitochondrial disease ranging from mild to severe. The disease is difficult to diagnose because it affects each patient differently. No two patients are alike in their symptoms or care management.
Charlie’s path is not an uncommon path for those who battle mitochondrial disease and justifies the need for more awareness, and government and private support of faster diagnostic tools, potential treatments and ultimately a cure.
To learn more about mitochondrial disease and dysfunction, its links to other more well-known diseases and our work towards developing treatments and potential cures, visit MitoAction, FMM, UMDF.