Courtesy of Massachusetts Maritime Sports Information

The Massachusetts Maritime men's soccer team was out in full force last Saturday afternoon in support of "Team Thomas" at The MitoAction Energy Walk & 5K at DCR's Mother's Rest in South Boston, an event raises awareness about mitochondrial disease, which is an inherited chronic illness that can be present at birth or develop later in life and afflicts about 1 in every 4,000 people.

Nine-year-old Thomas Schmid of Marshfield became a teammate of the Buccaneer squad through Massachusetts Maritime's on-going partnership with Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization based in Quincy that partners with colleges and universities across the region to improve the quality of life for children facing adverse issues and events by establishing and expanding vibrant, team-based support networks.  Massachusetts Maritime is one of over 30 institutions in New England that are part of the Team IMPACT family, standing with such schools as Boston College, Brown, Harvard and Northeastern as proud partners in the program.  Over the last three years, the Buccaneers have welcomed Forestdale resident Teddy McGowan to the men's lacrosse program, Falmouth's Tyler Smith to the baseball squad and Marshfield resident Michael Hebert to the football team. 

The Schmids have always been a part of the Massachusetts Maritime family, as Thomas's father Adam, a lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard, graduated from the Academy in 1999.  Thomas is the oldest of Adam and Abby Schmid's children, joining siblings Joey (7), Penny (5) and Rusty (3).

"To be a part of this is something that can't be easily be put into words," Massachusetts Maritime Head Men's Soccer Coach Greg Perry says of the event and of Thomas's impact on his team.  "To see Thomas and everyone who is a part of this event smile, laugh and have fun and know what he and his family goes through on a daily basis is so enriching.  It's the ultimate privilege for my players, the program and the Academy to be a small part of this."

"Mito" is an inherited chronic illness that can be present at birth or develop later in life. It causes debilitating physical, developmental, and cognitive disabilities with symptoms including poor growth; loss of muscle coordination; muscle weakness and pain; seizures; vision and/or hearing loss; gastrointestinal issues; learning disabilities; and heart, liver, or kidney failure. About 1 in 4,000 people has Mito. It's progressive and there is no cure.

Proceeds from the walk/5K benefited MitoAction, a Boston-based nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children, adults, and families living with mitochondrial disease through support, education, outreach, advocacy, and clinical research initiatives.

Learn more at www.MitoAction.org.

(Photo courtesy Adam Schmid)

(Portions of this release provided by MitoAction)