<p> s</p><p>Sample Op-Ed a</p><p> m</p><p>NOTE: This sample op-ed is fictitious. It is an example of how to structure an op-ed and p</p><p> l</p><p> how to integrate messages and personal and compelling stories to increase the chances e of your op-ed being printed. </p><p> o</p><p> p</p><p>-</p><p>(Approx. 750 words) e</p><p> d Investing in Mitochondrial Research Can Open New Doors</p><p>The debate over the federal budget, how much and where best to allocate resources for health care and health research when there are few dollars to spare gets more heated each year. I believe that the best investments we can make in science and medicine are those with the greatest potential benefits. Each year between 1,000 and 4,000 children in this country are born with a mitochondrial disease. While to many this may seem like a small number, many scientists believe that studying how this disease works will benefit all disciplines and ultimately transform medicine as we know it. </p><p>Mitochondria are present in every single cell in our bodies – except for red blood cells – and are responsible for producing more than 90 percent of the energy needed by the body to sustain life and support growth. Mitochondrial diseases result from the failure of these tiny “powerhouses.” When the mitochondria fail, less and less energy is generated within our cells. Cell injury and even cell death follow. As this process repeats itself throughout the body, whole systems begin to fail and the life of the person in whom this is happening is severely compromised. </p><p>Mitochondrial diseases can affect any organ of the body at any age. They are extremely complex and the range of symptoms include: progressive muscle weakness; cardiac disease; liver disease; diabetes; gastrointestinal disorders; blindness and/or hearing problems; strokes and seizures; and susceptibility to infections. For affected children, these infections can be life-threatening and can cause irreversible disease progression.</p><p>As a family, we are painfully familiar with mitochondrial disease. In 2002, after having a muscle biopsy at the Cleveland Clinic, my daughter Allison was diagnosed with a mitochondrial disease. After three years of visiting specialists and seeing my daughter diagnosed with everything from Attention Deficit Disorder, to Aspergers Syndrome, to cerebral palsy, to epilepsy it was a relief to finally have a diagnosis – an answer. What has not been a relief has been watching her suffer with seizures, too weak to feed herself, unable to eat normally or even digest her food, losing her ability to swallow, and enduring numerous visits to the emergency room where her parents know more than the attending physician because what may have been a simple infection in another child has turned into a life or death battle. </p><p>We deal with mitochondrial disease every day. But we are not alone. Because symptoms can vary widely and because mitochondrial disease can go for years without a correct diagnosis, it is hard to know with any certainty how many families are dealing with its devastating effects. I know that in my small town I have found three families who have children diagnosed with a mitochondrial disease.</p><p>The United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation and private researchers have achieved great success in funding research to improve awareness and understanding of mitochondrial disease and mitochondrial dysfunction. Recent research from the University of California at Irvine found a direct cause and effect relationship between mitchondrial dysfunction and common age-related diseases like heart disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, hypertension and the aging process itself. Even autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis and lupus appear to have a mitochondrial basis. However, the research that has happened thus far has taken place on a small scale compared to other diseases.</p><p>Recently, the National Institutes of Health recently recognized the importance of mitochondrial disease research by considering mitochondrial disease for an NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. We must act now to ensure the Roadmap is approved and adequately funded.</p><p>While organizations such as UMDF and government agencies such as NIH are leading the effort to learn more about mitochondrial dysfunction; with more research funding, we can vastly improve diagnostics and treatments for mitochondrial disease. What we learn can also help to pave the way to better diagnostics and treatments for many other diseases. The path is clear. The time is now. We can provide hope. We have the power to open a new world of medical knowledge and alleviate suffering – not only for those with mitochondrial disease, but for millions around the world suffering from diseases where mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated. We need only for Congress and NIH to make the commitment. </p>