News
Celebration of Life offers message of hope
The message of “Hope” echoed throughout the Alpha-1 Foundation’s 11th annual Celebration of Life Friday.
Foundation President & CEO John Walsh welcomed the crowd and introduced the theme of the evening: “Alphas inspire us, the Alpha-1 Foundation gives them hope.”
Sheila Favazza, an Alpha from Massachusetts who has been involved in support groups, awareness and fundraising events for more than 20 years, talked about hope from a patient’s point of view.
Speakers Sheila Favazza and Mark Brantly, MD
Favazza was a mother of two young children when she was diagnosed 25 years ago. She was told she had a congenital disease that would progress rapidly and had no treatment. She contrasted that depressing state of affairs with today’s. She believes she is alive today because of augmentation therapy, and noted that research is intensifying for new treatments and ultimately a cure for Alpha-1.
Mark Brantly, MD, talked about the same changes from the physician’s point of view. Brantly, who has directed the Alpha-1 lab at the University of Florida for over a decade, was a principal investigator and did the phenotyping for the 7-year longitudinal study of Alpha-1 by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in 1989-1996. Favazza was among those enrolled in the study.
Walsh presented a distinguished service award to Lawrence Stern, chairman and CEO of Talecris Biotherapeutics. Walsh praised Stern’s deep involvement in the Alpha-1 community. “He always reached out to include a community perspective at Talecris, and built a culture of direct involvement with the community,” Walsh said.
Walsh pointed to a $1 million “legacy grant” from Talecris to the Foundation in 2009, and the company’s long history of support to the Foundation, its research grants, and many other Alpha-1 causes.
John Walsh and Lawrence Stern
Greg Hules was presented with an award from the Foundation Board of Directors for his many years of service. Hules, a former board chair, was a pioneer in Alpha-1 support groups more than 20 years ago and has been involved in community causes ever since.
Walsh also presented an award to AlphaNet for its contribution of $30 million to the Foundation, and brought AlphaNet CEO Robert C. Barrett to the podium to receive the award.
The event, held at Indian Creek Country Club in Miami Beach, began with the annual golf tournament and ended with a cocktail reception, silent auction, dinner and dancing at the country club.
Foundation Scientific Director Adam Wanner, MD, and his wife Doris
The winning golf tournament foursomes:
First place, Ruth and Gordon Cadwgan, Judy and Don Fleischauer.
Second, David Fernandez, Ken Irvine, Patrick Lunn, Carlos Sanchez.
Third, John Barrett, Robert Barrett, Kevin Kovaleski, Robert Lefebvre.
Individual winners: Kevin Kovaleski, closest to the hole; Michael Narula, long drive.
Co-chairs for the event were Terri and Steve Himes, Claudia and Steve Jackson, Gayle and Craig Kephart, Gordon and Ruth Cadwgan.
Dancers with the Private Stock Band entertain.
Major support for the event came from charitable donations by Centric Health Resources, CSL Behringand Talecris Center for Science & Education.
Sponsors included: AlphaNet, ASD Healthcare, Baptist Health South Florida, Baxter Healthcare, Ruth and Gordon E. Cadwgan, Jr., Jonathan F. Dalton, Diane L. and John W. Walsh
Friends of Alpha-1: Compuquip Technologies, K & L Gates, LLP, Terri and Steven Himes, Claudia and Steven Jackson, University of Miami Department of Pulmonology.
