Tuesday evening,
we became proud parents of a healthy 7 pound, 6 ounce beautiful boy."
So, in celebration of Luca's arrival, we thought we'd give away an elephant softie identical to the one we gifted Hilary & Luca with in November! He measures 6x9" and is the perfect pal for your favorite kid!
I joined the The Global Gene Project for a BLOG HOP to help promote awareness for the upcoming Rare Disease Day on February 29th, 2012by sharing my story about living with mitochondrial myopathy.
Included in my blog post is a GIVEAWAY at the bottom - be sure to check it out!
In the United States, a disease is considered rare if
it is believed to affect fewer than 200,000 Americans.
30 days from now is World Rare Disease Day. Why is the number 30 significant? 30% of children with RARE disease will die by their 5th birthday.
Did You Know:
An estimated 350 million people are affected by rare disease worldwide.
1 in 10 Americans is affected by rare disease, that's over 30
million people. 30 million Americans is more than the total number of
people living worldwide with cancer & aids.
There are more than 7,000 rare diseases with some affecting less than 100 people. 75% of rare disease affect children.
Almost 80% of rare disease are genetic in origin.
These rare conditions are chronic, life threatening and FATAL. There are NO cures for any rare disease, and only 5% of the diseases have any treatment.
Over 50% of Rare Diseases have no foundations, advocacy group or community support.
Mitochondrial Disease means that my body cannot properly turn food and oxygen into Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - the energy molecule necessary to sustain life. Because the disease
is in my cells, it affects multiple organs causing secondary diseases.
Although my symptoms started in early childhood, it took doctors over 20 years for a diagnosis, since Mitochondrial Disease is considered RARE.
History of Mitochondrial Disease
Mitochondrial disease was first described in a patient in Stockholm the 1960s, but it wasn't until 1988 that the first molecular identification
of cause of mitochondrial diseases occurred. More patients with various
forms of mitochondrial disease were diagnosed through muscle biopsies
in the 80's and 90s, but it wasn't until the last decade that many
doctors began to understand how to identify patients affected by
mitochondrial disease.
Additionally, after the completion of the Human Genome Project
in 2003, several of the disease-causing genes in both the nuclear DNA
genome (nDNA) and the mitochondrial DNA (or mtDNA) genome were
identified, and genetic tests have become available
to test for them - making diagnosis of mitochondrial disease easier.
Additionally, several forms of Mitochondrial Disease can be tested for
through newborn screening!
Though diagnostics are improving, there are still very few doctors that know how to recognize and correctly diagnose it. In my case, I was actually correctly diagnosed in 2005, when muscle biopsied for a misdiagnosis of polymyositis (another rare neuromuscular disease). Mitochondrial Disease had never been 'suspected' in me, so when my biopsy was sent to a lab they realized it had been mitochondrial myopathy all along, not an auto-immune disease as I had been mis-diagnosed with several times.
How Mitochondria Work:
Inside of nearly every cell in your body are tiny organelles called "mitochondria." These organelles act as "cellular power plants" because they produce more then 90% of your body's cellular energy. When
you eat, mitochondria convert the food into its energy form called
adenosine triphosphate or ATP through a process called cellular
respiration which occurs in the electron transport chain. The energy
(or ATP) is necessary to sustain life as they provide cellular energy
for organ function.
What Happens When They Don't Work?
Research shows that if the mitochondria malfunction, it can lead to a
number of diseases depending on which cells in the body are affected.
Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a role in several neurodegenerative
diseases including Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Huntingtons, and Lou Gehrigs disease (ALS - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), and studies have shown mitochondrial dysfunction to also be a piece to the puzzle for more common conditions including diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease, blindness, deafness, kidney & liver disease, stroke, and autism.
Mitochondria also play a role in the aging process!
In addition, as many as 2 million American's suffer from mitochondrial diseases
- a group of diseases resulting from gene mutations in the
mitochondrial and/or nuclear DNA. When these mutations occur, they can
also lead to malfunction along the electron transport chain resulting in
cell injury due to insufficient energy from their cellular powerplant
(the mitochondria). Cell injury can lead to cell death, and when
multiple cells die in one organ, that organ won't have sufficient energy
for functioning. As this happens in multiple organs as the disease
progresses, the individual can portray a wide variety of symptoms.
For me, mitochondrial disease has effected my heart, neurological
system, muscles & lungs the most. These organs require the most
energy to function, so with insufficent energy it has caused symptoms
such as seizures, stroke-like episodes, dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (which regulates things such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature), and muscle breakdown (myopathy) resulting in me needing to use a wheelchair for mobility and a ventilator due to lung muscle weakness causing pulmonary failure. I also use IV infusions to help stabilize the autonomic nervous system and increase my heart rate & blood pressure.
Another person with mitochondrial disease may present completely different. Some individuals may have less trouble walking and more trouble with issues like learning disabilities, autism, cognitive problems or developmental delays. Some may become deaf or blind while others rely on feeding tubes for nutrition. No two individuals (even within the same family) will present the same way. Because of this, it makes it harder for many doctors to recognize the signs.
Did You Know: There are more children in the US affected with Mitochondrial Disease then all forms of childhood cancers combined! Mitochondrial Disease may be considered a "rare disease," but it's far more common then you'd think! At least 1 in 4,000 people in the United States are living with Mitochondrial Disease! Who are some of these people? Here are a few familiar faces:
Actress Chandra Wilson (Dr. Miranda Bailey from Grey's Anatomy)'s daughter, Serena is living with Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVC) - a Mitochondrial Disorder. She shared her daughters story on The Doctor last year:
"I physically don't feel like I should be playing anymore.'' - Rocco Baldelli
Charles Darwin(father of evolution) spent his life battling a chronic medical condition which multiple researchers believe to be a maternally inherited (mtDNA) Mitochondrial Disorder. Here are some articles about it:
Mattie Stepanek (MDA National Goodwill Ambassador 2002-2004) also lived with Dysautonomic Mitochondrial Myopathy and died shortly before his 14th birthday. Since Mitochondrial Disease is genetic, Mattie's entire family was affected by the disease. His mother, Jeni, lost all 4 of her children to the disease. Here's his story as told by his mother:
They're not going to find a cure to this disease, in my lifetime.
But like Mattie, I believe that finding a cure to any of the diseases is not about a specific lifetime, it's about being a part of the effort because it's somebody's lifetime.
I am a part of the cure whether that cure is found in 10 years or 100 years.
- Jeni Stepanek
My Blog Hop GIVEAWAY:
In celebration of the R.A.R.E. Project Blog Hop, I'm giving away a copy of Jeni Stepanek's book, Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek and Heartsongs (a $15 value) By Jeni Stepanek (author) with Larry Lindner (collaborator)
An
inspiring look at a young man who embodied the best of human nature,
touched millions, and worked tirelessly for peace-told through the eyes
of the woman who raised him.
Oprah Winfrey has called him "an inspiration," Maya Angelou saw him as a kindred spirit and fellow poet, and Jimmy Carter described Mattie Stepanek as "the most remarkableperson I have ever known." When Jerry Lewis received his lifetime achievement award at the Oscars, footage of Mattie played behind him. Five years after his death from a rare neuromuscular disease, Mattie is still being celebrated for his indomitable spirit and message of hope. Now the world will get to know the full story of the poet, the peacemaker, the philosopher, and New York Times bestselling author in
the first book to share all of the intimate details of his incredible life.
In Messenger, Mattie's mother, Jeni Stepanek, recounts the years before Mattie got sick; how he handled the loss of his siblings from the same disease he had; his decision to spread the message of peace and hope; and how, when he became a celebrity, Jeni helped to keep him grounded, and remember to embrace being a kid. Including never-before- seen poems, journal entries, photos, and correspondence with famous friends, Messenger is an inspirational book about a life lived to the fullest.
You can enter for your chance to win by entering this giveaway via Rafflecopter.If you haevn't already, you must open the post for the giveaway widget to appear (click on the post title). Rafflecopter makes entering giveaways super quick and easy!
Mandatory Entry: Tell me in a comment below why Rare Disease Day matters to YOU! Additional entries are in the Rafflecopter widget (to improve your chances to win).Giveaway ends 11:59pm on Rare Disease Day - February 29, 2012 a Rafflecopter giveaway
Recently, I had another opportunity to include a product in a gift bag from members of The Artisan Group for actress and singer-songwriter,Hilary Duff, who is expecting a baby boy - due in March! Other members were sending gifts such as jewelry for Hilary, onesies, hats & bibs, so I thought I'd include an elephant from Little Free Radical. :)
I only had 2 weeks to get it completed & shipped, so I had to make a fast decision on what materials I'd like to use... I contacted one of my favorite companies - Birch Fabrics - an awesome organic fabric company - since I knew their storyboek line was a hit with celebs at the GBK Primetime Emmy's Celebrity Gift Lounge - and they offered to sponsor the elephant for Hilary's son with materials from their Mod Basics collection - which is scheduled to be released in January!
Of course the hardest part was choosing ONLY 2 fabrics to use! I showed 2 fellow TAG members, Kassi (owner of Rumour Has It) and Shannon (owner of Sweet Stella's) - both of whom are moms of little boys - and we decided on the birdie spokes in aqua & abacus in orange! I love how it turned out!!!
Birch Fabrics are 100% organic cottons - treated with love, not pesticides.
And this little elephant is filled with love & environmentally friendly bamboo-blend silky fiberfil.
Q: What do Jennifer Carpenter, Julie Benz, and Scott Adsit, all have in common?
A: They all love Little Free Radical's products!
So, here's the scoop of what went down in Hollywood last weekend!
As I have previously mentioned, Little Free Radical is a member of The Artisan Group - an exclusive juried organization whose members gift their art/products to celebrities at major celebrity events leading up to The Oscars, The Golden Globes, and The Primetime Emmys telecasts
I spent the months of July & August creating toys to send to GBK's Emmy Awards Celebrity Gift Lounge (photos of what I sent are here).
My stacking ring toy was featured on display. It is made with 100% organic cotton & filled {with love} and bamboo-blended fiberfill. I also made 100 small cloth balls that each celebrity was gifted with:
The Artisan Group put together an Event Guide with details on each artist participating
that was distributed to members of the press & attendees!
Thursday, September 15th, The Artisan Group attended an industry mixer where our products were displayed to members of the press, set decorators, producers, buyers, bloggers, and stylists!
Then Friday & Saturday, September 16 & 17 was GBK Productions Celebrity Gift Lounge! And here are a few celebs that loved our products:
Jennifer Carpenter & Julie Benz:
Jennifer Carpenter"is an American actress,
known for her portrayal of Emily Rose in The Exorcism of Emily Rose,
Debra Morgan on Dexter, and the lead role in the 2008 horror movie
Quarantine."
Julie Benz "is an American actress,
best known for her roles as Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
and as Rita Bennett on Dexter, for which she won the 2006 Satellite
Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or
Motion Picture Made for Television. She starred on the series No
Ordinary Family until it was cancelled on May 13, 2011. She will have
a main role in the upcoming CBS show A Gifted Man."
Scott Adsit:
Scott Adsit "is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole."
So, that is the photo summary of The 2011 GBK Productions Primetime Emmy's Celebrity Gift Lounge! Products distributed at the gift lounge will be available for purchase at littlefreeradical on etsy shortly!
Choosing the 'right' fabric can be easier said then done! So when I decided to do celebrity gifts for the 63rd Primetime Emmy's Celebrity Gifting Lounge, I ended up spending WEEKS trying to decide which fabrics to use for those products! I needed smaller prints that would work well on 4" balls, and I wanted to get a variety of fabrics from various manufacturers so I found myself spending hours on etsy & manufacturer websites looking at options. I also went fabric shop to fabric shop around Boston looking for the perfect prints. But, after weeks of drooling over fabric, I finally narrowed it down to just a couple:
I knew right off that Alexander Henry's 2D Zoo in Chocolate was a MUST HAVE. Anything I've made from it has sold quickly in the store... If it's a customer favorite, then I'm sure the celebrities would love it too, right?
We got a new local fabric shop, Gather Here, in Cambridge a few months back. So I was psyched to find 2D Zoo tiny in their shop since typically I have to order it online and pay for shipping. So I combined 2D Zoo with Amy Butlers full moon polka dot (in lime and tangerine) for some of the balls!
I was in New York City a few weeks back, since my daughter was modeling for Masala Baby's spring line, so I had to stop off at Purl SoHo before heading back to Boston!
The store was awesome, so I had to pick a fabric combo for a few more balls! I found these awesome Metro Living Dots from Robert Kaufman Prints and knew these were the one! So I paired it with a couple of Kona Solids!
I also needed 10 gifts for the press present at the gifting lounge so I thought I'd alter my elephant pattern (designed by retromama) a bit:
I also love Riley Blake Designs fabrics - I use them frequently in my shop so I had to choose one of their lines to include for the Emmy's!
XOgigi, one of my favorite etsy shops for fabric got in Alphabet Soup by Zoe Pearn Designs for My Minds Eye/Riley Blake Designs shortly before I needed materials so I ended up choosing this line since they had some great small prints that worked well with the size of the balls, plus they are bright and colorful! It was a fun material to work with!
I have a few of their other prints from Alphabet Soup as well! I plan to play with those over the next few weeks So keep your eye out for new Alphabet Soup products in my Etsy shop!
