Arnprior, Ont. lights up green for Mito awareness
Homes across Arnprior, Ont. will light up green Saturday night in support of a local family.
September 24 marks the Light Up for Mito day, a worldwide event where green lights are lit to wrap up Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week.
Arnprior resident Sarah Tait is seeing more houses lit green than ever before in support of her family. Tait's son Nicholas lives with a mitochondrial dysfunction.
"He's considered blind, he's non-verbal, and he just needs help with everyday functions," says Tait.
According to the Mito Foundation, mitochondrial disease affects everyone differently, and happens when the mitochondria within a person's cells do not produce energy as it should. It is a condition that affects about 1 in 5,000 people.
Sarah Tait with her son, Nicholas. Tait's son Nicholas lives with a mitochondrial dysfunction. (Sarah Tait/submitted)
This year, Tait and friend Leslie Anne Hook decided to promote the light up event locally and gathered 50 light bulbs to pass out to homes for free.
"It really is a symbol of support locally to our family here, Sarah and Nicholas, raising awareness for this great cause," Hook tells CTV News Ottawa.
"Growing it from 10 people to 20, this year 50," says Hook. "We're hoping to partner next year with a lot of people and keep growing it locally."
National monuments, like Toronto's CN Tower will also be lit green tonight to cap Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week.
The pair managed to pass out all 50 light bulbs ahead of Saturday night. In the days before the official light up, Tait has been overwhelmed by the support of her family's cause.
The CN Tower will be lit green on Saturday for Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week. (CN Tower/Twitter)
"My mom and I drove around the other night to see where we can see the green lights in the community, and it's fantastic to see the houses where I don't know the people that live there," says Tait.
"They're lit up supporting Nicholas and myself."
"Some people have seen the lights in different parts of the community and asked their neighbours to get involved," adds Hook.
Currently mitochondrial disease has no cure. It is taught early on in science class that mitochondria is the powerhouse of a cell. There is hope that by powering on more green light bulbs, the ability to find a cure will become easier.
"And doing initiatives like this that raise awareness is the first step towards getting funding and working towards a treatment or a cure," says Tait.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.