My Mighty Mito Book

Book excerpt: This is the perfect book for your child! It has colorful and fun illustrations. Mitochondrial disease affects people of all ages. Often, children benefit from books which explain symptoms and feelings in clear wording and bright photos. 'My Mighty Mito' has space for your child to personalize the book in the front as well as room for your child to write his/her own feelings and symptoms to help them to know that other children go through similar experiences and that they are not alone. 'Mighty Mito' is what Joshua Koscinski has called his mitochondria since he was a young child. Joshua is a thirteen year old who lives daily with the difficult symptoms and effects of mitochondrial disease. His desire is to help other children to know there are more kids like them out there and to not feel afraid. Often children with special needs benefit from 'social stories' or stories that help them to understand what is happening to them. For Joshua, writing is a way to let other children know that they are amazing! Cristy Balcells, founder of MitoAction.org and author of Living Well with Mitochondrial Disease wrote the foreward for our book. We hope you love reading it as much as we loved writing it. Joshua lives with mitochondrial disease, autism, Ehlers-Danlos, Sensory Processing Disorder, speech and motor delays, and eosinophilic esophagitis. When he is unable to walk, Joshua uses his granny smith apple wheelchair. He is home schooled since mitochondrial disease severely limits his energy level. Joshua is fed via a GJ tube (gastrojejunostomy tube) since his stomach doesn't function effectively. He is hyper-sensitive to heat and humidity, which is common in those with mitochondrial disease. Cara Koscinski, MOT, OTR/L (known as The Pocket Occupational Therapist) is Joshua's mother. She has authored four books and travels throughout the US to help educate therapists, parents, and teachers about working with children who have special needs. Visit her website at www.PocketOT.com for more information. Joshua has been a guest on the Anderson Cooper daytime talk show, on the cover of AutismAsperger's Digest, and AutismFile magazines. He is an advocate for other children who have mitochondrial disease.