My Story…
Hello Family and friends!
Another summer-another run for the amazing Lurie Center. This would have been my fifth Falmouth Road Race for Lurie, but unfortunately I was diagnosed with breast cancer (caught very early - very treatable) in March. Luckily, my sister, Ila Shah, and Maya are running in my stead.
Lurie has been there for us as I make my way through treatment-making sure the boys have what they need especially as we navigate their transition to the adult life. My diagnosis coincided with the boys 22nd birthday and with profound autism, this is a significant birthday. At 22 their funding for day and residential programming transitions to the state requiring new teams, reams of paperwork, and a world that looks different to Anjan and Sachin. The Lurie clinicians, aware of the potential increase in anxiety and aggresion through this transition, helped us plan. The family resource center (which is fully funded by philanthropy) were there for questions that came up as we journeyed through this process.
And the greatest achievement of all, Nicole Simon, BCBA at the Lurie Center, helped us support Anjan to access medical care and complete his annual physical in person for the first time since 2016 at the Lurie Center. In June, Dr. Bath, his PCP, was able to conduct a full exam in the office. Accomodations were made the help ease Anjan’s worries, and he was very proud of himself for making this happen. This is hopefully the first of many more successful trips out of the home and isolated classroom.
The clinic handles over 12,000 patient visits annually.
The Center loses $135 for every patient visit due to the complexities of autism care.
We will match the first $10k we raise. Thank you for helping us help Lurie do what they do above and beyond the standard of care. And a special thank you to Ila and Maya for helping me continue this tradition of support. I will be back stronger than ever next year!
All my best,
Una Basak
Description
All money raised through the ASICS Falmouth Road Race will help fund the Lurie Center's Family Support Team; a consultative lifeline helping patients & families navigate the difficult medical, therapeutic and life decisions related to caring for an individual with autism. Whether it is a question about insurance, educational support, adult services, or a sibling adjustment concern, because of the generous donations collected through this event, the Family Support Team is just a phone call away. They meet one-on-one with families, but also field an estimated 7,500 calls per year, and make an additional 4,500+ follow-up calls.
Autism diagnoses are on the rise. The number of patients seen at the Lurie Center is growing steadily with more than 10,000 appointments during the last year. Unfortunately, less than half of the clinical costs are covered by health insurance reimbursements.
Charitable support is essential for the vitality of the clinic and there is an extraordinary opportunity to double this event's fundraising efforts. Thanks to the Nancy Lurie Marks Foundation, every donation received will be matched dollar for dollar.
Recent donors
Donation date | Donor name | Donation amount |
---|---|---|
Aug 07 | Ellen Goldberg | $250.00 |
Aug 05 | Anonymous | $491.35 |
Aug 04 | The Song Family | $1,000.00 |
Aug 03 | The Lannan Family | $1,000.00 |
Aug 03 | The Heidary Sekhavat Family | $273.35 |
Jul 27 | Anna Peterson | Undisclosed amount |
Jul 24 | Masu & Badar Khan | $500.00 |
Jul 24 | Charu Madan | $273.35 |
Jul 24 | The Sylvias (Louisa, Ryan, Luke and Hadley) | $273.35 |
Jul 24 | Rena & Rick Hedeman | $273.35 |