All in Need, Family Support - 2013 donations

From All in Need, Family Support (AiN)

Dear Friends and Families,

When you or a family member wants to enjoy an evening out or just would like to run to the grocery store without your child, where do you turn?
If you’re like most in our community, you contact your babysitter or family.

Why?

Because you know they can meet the needs of your child/children.

And you also know that because of your relationship with the sitter they are dedicated, compassionate in your caring for your child.

What if you didn’t have that resource?

Many families who have children with special needs cannot find dedicated sitters who can focus on their child’s needs. Unlike you, they aren’t able to enjoy and evening out or run to the grocery store without bringing their child along with them.

Your contributions have helped make All in Need, Family Support the recognized respite care provider in the Bay area. We are so grateful to you for supporting our committed team of care givers.

Thanks to you, our caregivers have touched the lives of many amazing children who have special needs and their families– whether they are facing Autism, Mitochondrial Disease, Speech and Language, Learning Disabilities, or mood disorders.

More information or to make a donation HERE.

Understanding Mitochondrial Disease

From the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation

What is Mitochondrial Disease?
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.

Diseases of the mitochondria appear to cause the most damage to cells of the brain, heart, liver, skeletal muscles, kidney and the endocrine and respiratory systems.

Depending on which cells are affected, symptoms may include loss of motor control, muscle weakness and pain, gastro-intestinal disorders and swallowing difficulties, poor growth, cardiac disease, liver disease, diabetes, respiratory complications, seizures, visual/hearing problems, lactic acidosis, developmental delays and susceptibility to infection

Read more HERE.