On May 4, more than 230 guests attended the sixth annual Kawasaki benefit dinner to help fund research into this inflammatory disease. Kawasaki disease is a pediatric illness that swells blood vessels and can lead to coronary artery damage. The key to prevention: early diagnosis and treatment.
This year, guests raised more than $115,000 in an evening that included research updates, patient stories, and education about the little-known pediatric ailment. Annie and Dan Barlow chaired the event, along with co-chairs Margery and Richard Feitler, Ellen and Bobby Largay, and Eve and Randy Rogers. Since, 2011, the dinner has raised more than $600,000 for research at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital.
Last year, the Kawasaki dinner funded numerous research accomplishments, including identifying inflammatory proteins and genes linked to this illness. Annually, 3,500 to 5,000 children are affected with Kawasaki disease. Events like this dinner provide hope that this number range will shrink in the upcoming years. For more information about Kawasaki disease, visit luriechildrens.org.
