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Lupus Research Alliance Gala Raises Millions for Research
to Transform Treatment
Featured Emmy Award-Winning TV
Host,
Tamron Hall, Recording Artist Chloe Flower, and Honorees
David and Kate Kies and Hospital for Special Surgery
Advisor/Past President Louis Shapiro
This year’s Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) Breaking Through
Gala raised $2 million for lupus research and brought
the hope of tremendous progress that’s improving lupus
treatment while driving to a cure. The annual celebration
began with a powerhouse performance and moving tribute to
lupus warriors by multi-talented pianist, composer,
producer, and Sony Music recording artist Chloe Flower.
Emmy Award-winning TV Host
and
Executive Producer,
Tamron Hall,
brought her refreshing and relatable voice to emcee the
night’s program with warmth and compassion.
“Lupus is a complex autoimmune disease that can take years
to get diagnosed and disproportionately affects women of
color in prevalence and severity. People close to me have
been significantly impacted by this disease. Being here to
help raise awareness and funds for the finest research is
how we can best help improve the lives of people with
lupus,” explained Hall.
LRA President and CEO Albert T. Roy
commented, “The power of everyone united in this room to
fund cutting-edge research is what will bring the many
individualized treatments the community so urgently needs
and deserves. With you at our side, the researchers LRA
funds are advancing quickly to deliver the breakthroughs
that will allow people with lupus to be the best version of
themselves.”
A star of the event, the iconic Empire State Building,
brightened the city Sunday night, highlighting the
importance of lupus research by lighting up NYC’s skyline in
the colors of lupus research awareness – purple and red.
Special Supporters Recognized for Contributions
As LRA Board Co-Chair and Gala Co-Chair, President of The
Johnson Company, Ira Akselrad welcomed the crowd of
hundreds, while philanthropist and Honorary Gala Co-Chair
Michael R. Bloomberg addressed the audience with a
special videotaped message of support for the organization
and the community it serves.
Roy thanked the other 2023 Gala Co-Chairs for all their
support including: H. Rodgin Cohen, Senior
Chair, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP; Jennifer A. Dakin,
Managing Director of Wells Fargo Bank NA; Richard K.
DeScherer, LRA Board Chairman and Director Emeritus,
Bloomberg L.P.; Bryan T. Kelly, MD, MBA, President
and CEO, Hospital for Special Surgery; and William J.
Wolfe, Chairman of First Washington Realty, Inc.
David Kies Honored for Turning Devotion to his Daughter into
Dedication to a Cause
Hundreds in the room and online turned out to recognize this
year’s honorees -- LRA Board member David Kies,
formerly of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and his wife Kate,
as well as Louis A. Shapiro, Advisor, Past President
& CEO of Hospital for Special Surgery.
In introducing her dad, Laura Kies Gever noted that,
“he would go to the ends of the earth to make my life
better.” Gever shared that he had flown to Italy to bring
her to Hospital for Special Surgery straight from the
airport when she first fell ill.
“I believe that helping the LRA fund innovative research is
the most effective way I can ensure the best future for
Laura and the millions like her struggling with the effects
of lupus every day of their lives,” commented Mr. Kies.
Louis A. Shapiro Named 2023 Honoree
Roy introduced Lou Shapiro, thanking him for his 17
years of commitment to people with lupus. “Under Lou’s
leadership, the Hospital for Special Surgery was a model
partner to the LRA, providing the finest care and being
responsible for breakthroughs that have made a major
difference in lupus treatment.”
The audience was both moved and inspired when LRA Young
Leaders Board Executive Committee and Scientific Advisory
Board member, Nancy Mize Gonzalez spoke about how she
switched careers when lupus took away her dream of being a
concert pianist to become the kind of doctor who can give
patients the answers she struggled to find when first
diagnosed.
Speakers also applauded all the people in the room and at
home who have shown what ManyOne Can accomplish for lupus
research together – those who fundraise, those who advocate,
those who educate, and those who participate.
About Lupus
Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that
affects millions of people worldwide. More than 90 percent
of people with lupus are women, often striking during the
childbearing years of 15-45. Blacks/African Americans,
Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans are at two to three
times greater risk than Caucasians for developing lupus. In
lupus, the immune system, meant to defend against
infections, produces antibodies that mistakenly recognize
the body’s own cells as foreign, prompting other immune
cells to attack and potentially damage organs such as the
kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, blood, skin, and joints.
About the Lupus Research Alliance
The
Lupus Research Alliance is the largest non-governmental,
non-profit funder of lupus research worldwide. The
organization aims to transform treatment by funding the most
innovative lupus research, fostering diverse scientific
talent, and driving discovery toward better diagnostics,
improved treatments and ultimately a cure for lupus. Because
the Lupus Research Alliance’s Board of Directors funds all
administrative and fundraising costs, 100% of all donations
goes to support lupus research programs. For more
information, please visit the LRA at LupusResearch.org and
on social media at:
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