Payton’s Race for a Cure a fun family event
Saturday, July 21, visit Grattan Raceway, 7201 Lessiter Road in Belding, for a day of motocross racing (quads are allowed), kids’ activities, food concessions, raffle tent, and music with a local celebrity DJ. The event is the fourth annual Payton’s Race for a Cure to raise awareness of mitochondrial disease which local girl Payton DeWitt suffers from.
This year’s event again includes a charity motorcycle ride in cooperation wit the Sparta Moose Lodge. The ride has grown to an amazing number of participants who come from the Belmont, Lowell and Sparta areas.
With the theme of “Leaving Mito Disease in the Dust,” the event has donated over $25,000 to the mitochondrial disease community (Mito community, MitoAction and the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation) over the last three years.
“The first year I did it for fun and to help a good cause,” said participant Bill Kremer. “Now I do it because Payton and her family and friends are an inspiration to me and my family.”
Mitochondrial disease is a deficiency in the body’s ability to form energy leaving all other organs and life supporting functions to suffer. It affects people from head to toe. It preys on adults with later onset, but it also preys on innocent children forcing their lives to be hindered by this monster. Symptoms range in severity from mild to fatal.
There is no treatment, no cure and minimal research is being completed due to lack of funding. There is only care, comfort and maintenance for the patient. One in 4,000 children will develop a mitochondrial disease by the age of 10 years old.
Find out more about the event on paytonsraceforacure.com. The event begins with rider sign-in at 8 a.m. and activities begin at 11 a.m.
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