A mountain and a million

Police staff are scaling the heights – literally - to help raise a million dollars in honour of a colleague’s terminally ill son.

Maddox, son of Constable Rebecca Parker of Te Awamatu and her firefighter husband John, was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease at five months old.

Saturday was his first birthday. Sufferers with his variant, Leigh’s disease, rarely survive beyond their second.

On 12 January around 30 supporters, including Police and Fire Service staff, are tackling a sponsored 44km walk/run around the Tongariro Northern Circuit, which includes the Tongariro Crossing.

Rebecca and John launched the campaign ‘A Million Dollars for Mito’ through the Starship Foundation to raise money for research, training and support.

The disease is caused by the failure of mitochondria, which generate energy to make the body’s cells function. This causes a wide range of symptoms including organ failure.

Rebecca says their main aim is to raise awareness. When Maddox was diagnosed, she says, they had to consult Google as they had never heard of the disease before.

“It would be nice if when we say we’re raising money for mitochondrial disease, people didn’t say ‘What’s that?’ It’s hard to raise money for a disease that no one’s heard of.”

They have been overwhelmed by the support of Police and Fire Service colleagues, among others. There have been sponsored cycles and marathons, garage sales, raffles and quiz nights - and wristbands sold through the local Mitre 10.

“A million dollars sounds ambitious but if every time someone found a dollar under the chair they donated it, we’d get there,” says John.

“We know this won’t help Maddox. But hopefully things will be better for children diagnosed in New Zealand in the future.”

For more information and to donate go to www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/MitochondrialDisease/. You can follow the family’s progress on the Maddox Thorne Parker Facebook page.