r By Dale Myers
Kyle Johnson, of Weichert Realtors at The Rockies, marks his fifth year supporting the Energy for Life Walkathon, sponsored by the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. Johnson assists the walkathon director and heads up sponsorship and fundraising.
“My role with the Energy for Life Walkathon entails reaching out to small and large companies asking for sponsorship through funds or donations of items needed for the walkathon,” said Johnson, whose 8-year-old son, Austin, has Mitochondrial disease. “Over the last six months I have been working directly with the charity to get a walk again in Utah, and we are planning one for early fall. I encourage everyone to continue to watch the Energy for Life website for updates on location, date and time of walks all over the country.”
The purpose of the walkathon is to raise awareness and funds to help find a cure for Mitochondrial diseases, which result from failures of the mitochondria, specialized compartments present in every cell of the body (except red blood cells). The most affected parts of the body are the heart, brain, muscles and lungs, which require the greatest amounts of energy.
“Austin was diagnosed with Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) when he was one, and has been on several medications ever since. He has had several episodes resulting in a loss of speech, along with his ability to walk and swallow. Each time he has fought back and regained almost all he had lost. He truly is an amazing little man,” concluded Johnson. “It is a rare disorder that not much is known about. However, any support and awareness we can bring will help us fight for a cure.”
About Kyle Johnson, Weichert Realtors at The RockiesrKyle Johnson is fully committed to providing his clients “The Weichert Difference,” a noticeably higher level of service that will make their real estate experience as easy and stress-free as possible. Kyle offers personal and knowledgeable service that is genuinely responsive to clients’ needs, a “Neighborhood Specialist’s” familiarity with local communities, home values, and price trends, and top professional skills continually refined through Weichert training programs that are respected industry-wide. For more information, please call (435) 673-9090, or visit http://www.buyorsellinutahcounty.com.
