It’s a disease that affects kids, causing their body’s “power-houses”—the mitochondria—to shut down, often leaving them unable to walk, talk or even eat on their own.
David Schultz, manager of enterprise support services at Central Hudson Gas & Electric, a Fortis company, had never heard of mitochondrial disease until his son Jakob was diagnosed with it at just 7 months old.
Over the last five years, Jakob has been in and out of the hospital every few months, getting treatment and supportive care for these “mito crashes,” which can be triggered by something as simple as getting a cold.
But when the only children’s hospital that can treat your son is 80 miles away from home, those months in the hospital can be extra tough. Schultz and his wife, Liz (a former Central Hudson employee), rely on the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Hudson Valley, which provides a bed, meals and a home—and so much more—when Jakob is in treatment.
“We always thought that we wanted to give back,” Schultz said. That opportunity came two years ago, when Schultz found out that RMH was organizing a fundraising walk at the Walkway Over the Hudson, just a few miles from his house.
He and Liz took on the role of promotion for the event and set a personal goal of raising $5,000, with the promise that the family would dress up as superheroes if the goal was met.
It was—and then some. With the help of family, friends, co-workers and Central Hudson, Team Jakob Superhero raised $24,000 that first year, and in 2019, the team raised $17,500.
“What we raised just this year is enough to sponsor two families at the house for an entire year,” Schultz said. “That’s huge.”