SUNDAY’S Bloody Long Walk on the Mornington Peninsula helped focus the spotlight on a little-known illness that impacts hundreds of Australians every year.
The Bloody Long Walk raises money to enable much-needed support to patients and their families and research into the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of mitochondrial disorders.
The walk on Sunday 16 October raised $370,000 and took participants 35 kilometres along country and coastal paths, starting at the quarantine station at Portsea and finishing at Martha Cove marina, Safety Beach.
Leigh Caulfield and his wife Laura, whose 13-year-old son Tyler was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease two years ago, said events such as The Bloody Long Walk were vital in raising awareness and money for research, given the disease’s low profile.
The Caulfields completed their fifth walk on Sunday, their second on the peninsula.
“The peninsula is just such an amazing place to walk, and to know we are raising awareness and helping raise money for research is great,” Leigh Caulfield said.
“It’s a fun thing to do while you are also doing something to help, because you can take your time, stop for a coffee along the way.
“Most of us just jumped in the water when we finished at Portsea last year.”
With that walk Caulfield raised $11,800, one of the highest amounts in the state, while his group of family and friends reached $16,800.
Mitochondrial disease (mito) is a debilitating and potentially fatal disease that affects one in 5000 people and reduces the ability of the mitochondria to produce this energy. Mitochondria are the power houses of the cell, providing the body with more than 90 per cent of its energy needs.
When the mitochondria are not working properly, cells begin to die until eventually whole organ systems fail and the patient’s life itself is compromised.
There is no cure and few effective treatments. Caulfield said his son started to lose his vision and hearing when he was about 10 but wasn’t diagnosed until he underwent genetic diagnostic testing.
“Once we got the diagnosis it was easier to deal with, and there is so much support available from the Mito Foundation,” he said.
“They have put us in touch with other sufferers and helped us get grants for my son’s school.”
The Bloody Long Walk is owned and operated by the Mito Foundation Details: bloodylongwalk.com.au/mornington-peninsula/
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 18 October 2022
