Laura's story

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Laura hated going to physical therapy for her mitochondrial disease. “My physical therapist knew I wasn’t giving my all,” she said. “I was pretty lazy … and she pushed me.”
But then she started seeing results and realized this dreaded PT was benefiting her body! Her hatred of physical therapy turned into a passion and now she is in school to become a physical therapist herself. 
“I imagine that there are other children who are battling Mito every day that restricts them from participating in activities,” she said. “I believe that those people would benefit from a physical therapist who understands mitochondrial myopathy, and who knows how to give those people better quality of life.”
Laura, who will be a sophomore this fall at D'Youville College in Buffalo, NY, is one of the recipients of the Matthew Harty Scholarship. 
Prior to PT, Laura could walk for maybe 5 minutes and then she’d be done for the day. “I wanted to play soccer, go places without my wheelchair,” she said. 
After a while of having PT, she could run, go shopping, and even play on a soccer team!
Her junior and senior years of high school, she was basically doing the physical therapy herself, hitting the track to run and doing other exercises her physical therapist had taught her. 
Laura was diagnosed with mitochondrial myopathy when she was 9 years old. She had the usual symptoms of not growing, not being able to digest essential nutrients, and fatigue.
“I acutely remember going to gym class and sitting down on the floor and crying because my legs hurt while everyone played soccer,” Laura said.
She was prescribed a Mito Cocktail that helped her immensely. Her doctor also prescribed physical therapy as a way to strengthen her muscles and increase her endurance. 
“Admittedly, I hated going to those sessions because my PT pushed me to do more than I thought I was capable of doing,” she said. “However, I eventually began to see the progress that the therapy was giving me, and I began to believe that I could do more than ever before.
“As I worked harder at the exercises my PT gave me, I grew stronger and developed my endurance. As a culmination of all of the hard work my PT put in for me, I was able to run my first 5K with her by my side.”
In hindsight, Laura believes that going to physical therapy was the turning point in her fight against Mito. “I went from not being able to walk for 5 minutes to being able to run for 40 minutes without paying for the activity the next day. I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I never went to physical therapy. I would probably still be using my motorized wheelchair, be unable to attend college classes full time, and not be able to influence other people affected by Mito.”
Laura needs fluids overnight to keep her blood sugar levels steady, receives tube feedings, and uses a bi-pap at night. “However, I have been able to overcome the 
big obstacles that Mito placed in my life.”
Now she wants to help others to do that, too!
Laura was homeschooled during high school. When it came time to decide on her future, her mom, Erica, asked her what really inspired her. “Physical therapy! I can help others and myself, too.” Her family – mom Erica, dad David and sisters Heather, Melissa, and Kelly of Eden, NY – are her biggest support system.  “We look out for each other,” Laura said. “They are the biggest blessings I have.”
Laura, who commutes to school from home, has had a successful freshmen year at D'Youville. “It’s a constant balance I have to keep. I make sure I know what I’m doing that day so I can plan things out.” The PT program at D'Youville is normally a direct-entry seven-year program but Laura is determined to do it in six. She is able to raise awareness about Mito in her PT program. “In PT classes, we talk about mitochondria,” she said. “So when we’re studying and it comes up, I talk about it.”
She admits to drinking more coffee as a college student, and she takes naps when necessary to get through the day. In addition to her studies, she is a Sophomore Senator in D’Youville College’s Student Association and helps organize events for students, listens to student complaints, and votes on student-related issues.
She also volunteers through her church’s inner-city youth mentoring program and is a Patient Ambassador at Women’s and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. 
Laura is grateful for the financial assistance from the scholarship. “The Matthew Harty Scholarship would allow me to focus on studying by relieving the financial pressure. It would also allow me to spend more energy on schoolwork, rather than on working a job to pay for college.”
Laura doesn’t let her Mito get her down. Her advice to other Mito students considering college? “Don’t let Mito take away your dreams.”