Philip Boles with siblings. Photo by Curemito.Org

Philip Boles, a fourth student at Valentine Elementary School in San Marino, will run the 5k in the Pasadena Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon and Mini Run Benefiting CureMito! charity on February 17th at the Rose Bowl.

His father, Dr. Richard Boles, Associate Professor at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Medical Director at Courtagen Life Sciences, Inc., is the medical advisor for the non-profit organization.

The mission of CureMito! is to provide funding for clinical and laboratory research of mitochondrial disease and its related functional disorders and to increase awareness and understanding of mitochondrial disease in both the medical and general communities.
Philip, who will be turning only 10 years old just days before the race, registered for the February event back in early December, 2012. He has already raised over $1,000 from the generous contributions of family members, friends and business supporters. Although his $5,000 goal might be somewhat ambitious, he is up for the special challenge.

“I want to help my dad help some kids who have the disease. I’m lucky enough not to have it,” explained Philip. He continued, “I look forward to jogging a long distance on race day. My P.E. teacher (physical education teacher at Valentine Elementary) also said that running marathons is good exercise.”

Dr. Boles commented, “I am proud to see my son working to help other children. And this is even more special in that it is for a cause that I care very deeply for, and that we will be doing this together.”

The charity runners make up a relatively small portion of the thousands registered to run the Pasadena Rock ‘n ‘ Roll event. The 200 CureMito! charity runners will be honored at a “Rock ‘n’ Roll” theme dinner event at the University Club of Pasadena on the eve of the race. Philip’s mom, Claudia Boles, is assisting with the coordination of that part of the weekend festivities.

Claudia Boles also walked the half marathon last year for the charity and will be participating in the 5k with her son and husband this year.

“I’m not particularly athletic. But it was such an inspirational, rewarding experience to walk such a distance,” said Claudia Boles. “Not only is the race a lot of fun because of all the rock and roll bands that play along the path, but it is quite a significant and powerful experience to help raise awareness about a medical condition that is not well known. Last year, I walked alongside the charity’s ambassador, Chandra Wilson of ABC Television’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” who has a daughter that suffers from Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome because of her mitochondrial dysfunction. That was unforgettable.”

Claudia Boles is a crisis intervention social worker at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “I want this patient population to feel more supported and for people to recognize that their medical issues and needs are important, too. I have friends and colleagues who suffer from mitochondrial dysfunction. And my husband works night and day diagnosing and treating these patients and is also making some ground-breaking research.”

Mitochondria are our cell’s power plants. They are responsible for converting the energy in food molecules into the ATP that powers cell function. When the mitochondria fail to work properly, an energy crisis occurs in our cells, resulting in disease and disorder throughout the body. Mitochondrial disorder can affect nearly every part of the body to varying degrees of severity.

For more information about mitochondrial disease and this event, please visit www.curemito.org and/or contact Claudia Boles at [email protected]

Philip’s fundraising page link: http://curemito.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=1108