Sarah Ford | March 31, 2014
Grandmother Lobbies Congress for Continued Financial Support for Tuberous Sclerosis Research
Derrick Brown is a 4-year-old boy from Vernon Hills who always wears a smile despite living with a disease that can randomly create life-threatening tumors.
Because of Derrick’s ongoing courage, his grandmother Geri Greenberg traveled from her Northbrook home to Capital Hill this month and lobbied Congress for continued financial support for research into tuberous sclerosis.
According to the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, an advocacy group for which Greenberg volunteers, the disorder causes non-malignant tumors to form in various organs, but primarily in the brain, eyes, kidney, skin and lungs.
The organization says seizures, developmental delays, intellectual disabilities and autism are among the leading challenges.
While still a fetus, the doctors discovered a tumor in Derrick’s heart and a cardiac team was standing by when he was born in 2009. A transplant was not needed, but Greenberg said her grandson was still kept in intensive care for his first month.
Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox
Explore More Articles
Productive Partnerships: Supporting Nonprofits Through CSR Initiatives
Join America’s Charities President and CEO, Jim Starr, along with other panelists on October 30, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET for NXUnite’s panel on Productive…
Read ArticleGet Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox
Receive our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter filled with information about causes, nonprofit impact, and topics important for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement professionals, including disaster response, workplace giving, matching gifts, employee assistance funds, volunteering, scholarship award program management, grantmaking, and other philanthropic initiatives.