The 1st Annual Wise Tri Triathlon will take place on September 13, 2009 at beautiful Lake Bridgeport. Wise Tri is a local charity event whose proceeds go directly towards research for treatment or a cure for Galactosemia. All proceeds will be donated to Galactosemic Families of the Southern States (GFSS) www.galactosemiasupport.org, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Galactosemia is a rare metabolic disorder that affects 1 in 80,000 children. Galactosemic children are missing the enzyme that breaks down the carbohydrates lactose and galactose. Lactose and galactose are found in many foods including some fruits, vegetables, meats, almost all processed foods, and many children’s medications. Some of the possible side effects are enlarged liver, kidney failure, cataracts and brain damage.
Currently there is no cure for Galactosemia. The only thing to do is try to eliminate these toxins from the diet. Even with a restricted diet, children still experience speech and language problems, fine and gross motor skills development delays, specific learning disabilities and premature ovarian failure.
Classical Galactosemia is considered an ’Orphaned Disease’, which means that very little money is put into medical research to find a treatment or cure. This certainly is very disheartening and scary for the parents of children with this disorder.
With your support, there is no doubt the 1st annual Wise Tri Triathlon will be a tremendous success. People will come from all across the state of Texas to meet for a good cause in beautiful Wise County.
Thanks for your consideration.
