Leukemia Research Foundation News

For the Love of Family

Gerry Brin is on a mission to use his favorite sport to fight leukemia, the disease that claimed the life of his nephew, Alan, in 1978.

Gerry’s nephew received bone marrow from his sister as a last hope to cure his leukemia. The bone marrow transplant was unsuccessful. On Father’s Day that year, Alan died.

Gerry turned his grief into action, and in 1986 Gerry organized an all-inclusive ski adventure fundraiser in Park City, Utah. Dubbed Ski for Research, the event benefited the Foundation and welcomed nearly 20 people from the Chicago area that first year. Thirty-seven years later, Ski for Research has raised more than $1M for the Leukemia Research Foundation. 

One fateful Ski for Research trip solidified why Gerry is including the Leukemia Research Foundation in his estate plans. A skier in Gerry’s group – who was also a leukemia survivor – was injured on the slopes. The ski patroller who came to the injured skier’s aid shared he also was a leukemia survivor, and the drug Gleevec was keeping him alive. Gerry was speechless. He knew the Leukemia Research Foundation was one of the first to fund the research that led to the development of Gleevec.

Gerry has included the Leukemia Research Foundation in his estate plans and shared, “I want to help find a cure for leukemia. Survival rates have risen, and treatments have improved greatly since we lost my nephew in 1978, but we’re still skiing for research. The job’s not done yet. More research is needed now and into the future,” Brin said.

Gerry has given his time and expertise to the Leukemia Research Foundation Board of Directors, serving as President in the past and as the current Treasurer. He is an active volunteer, and the Leukemia Research Foundation holds a special place in his heart. That’s why he’s made a bequest in his will to the Leukemia Research Foundation – so its mission can thrive for generations to come.

“It wasn’t a hard decision,” Gerry says. “I see the incredible work the Leukemia Research Foundation does to advance science and find cures. I hope my legacy gift can play a role in ensuring the needs of researchers and leukemia patients can be met for future generations.”

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