CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – “Friends of Christian” is hosting its Sixth Annual Benefit Poker Run and Pig Roast on Sunday, July 22, to help out the family of a local teen who is suffering from a genetic disorder.

This year, the group is raising money for the family of Nattie Booth (pictured above, in white, with her sister Noelle). Nattie a 16-year-old girl from the Marble area who is living with mitochondrial disease.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, mitochondrial disease is a chronic, genetic disorder that occurs when the mitochondria of the cell fail to produce enough energy for cell or organ function.

Nattie has had many surgeries due to her condition and must take approximately 25 to 30 medications and supplements daily. Her condition affects the muscles that aid in her ability to breathe.

Registration for the ride begins at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, July 22, at Vinny’s on Main Street in Clarion.

The cost is $25.00 per bike and includes one hand of poker and meals for both the driver and passenger. Additional poker hands can be purchased for $5.00. Prizes are awarded for the best and worst hand.

The ride kicks off at noon from Vinny’s in Clarion, then heads north to the Iron Mountain Grille in Clarington, Ray’s Hot Spot in Marienville, and Vince’s Tavern in Leeper, then south to Snug Harbor in Fairmount City, and finally to the end point at Piney Meadows Park along State Route 66.

The Pig Roast, catered by the Opera House Café from Brookville, opens its doors to the public at 4:00 p.m. at the Limestone Park. The cost is $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children ages six to 12. Children ages five and under are free.

The dinner includes roast pork, two sides, a roll, and a drink. Hot dogs will also be served.

There will be a basket raffle, a 50/50 raffle, and a special item raffled off separately.

For more information on the event, go to https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfChristian.

About Friends of Christian

The Friends of Christian group formed in 2013 to organize a fundraiser for a Knox area youth, Christian Burgdorfer (pictured below), who has battled Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).

For those dealing with POTS, a person’s blood stays in the lower part of the body when the person stands up. It makes the heart beat faster to try to get blood to the brain, and it can make a person’s blood pressure drop significantly.

According to webmd.com, orthostatic intolerance is the most common symptom of POTS. When the heart has to work too hard and the blood pressure falls, that can throw other body functions off balance. People may feel dizzy or faint, have blurred vision, and similar symptoms.

Burgdorfer overcame it to graduate from Keystone High School in 2017.

The proceeds of the annual event go to a family with a child or children, birth to 18 years old, who has a chronic or terminal illness, currently residing in Clarion, Venango, or Jefferson Counties.

For last year’s event, the ride raised about $4,000.00 for the family of D.J. Graham (pictured below), with a seven-month-old boy who was born with heart defects.

“There are so many expenses that aren’t covered by insurance, so we are grateful we can do these rides to help out families in need,” said Friends of Christian President Michelle Wright.