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The Evanosky Foundation is excited to announce its affiliation with 13.1 Marathon Chicago!  This event is a themed half-marathon that was held on Sunday, June 13. Designed for both runners and walkers, this was one of our major fundraisers for the year.  Click here for more information.

If you're not up for running, you can still support team by making a donation or volunteering on race day!


Bob Evanosky, Gov. Bill Richardson, and Julie AllenOn March 9, 2010, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson made New Mexico the third state in the U.S. to screen all babies for five lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) -- Fabry, Gaucher, Krabbe, Pompe, and Niemann-Pick diseases -- all of which are similar to metachromatic leukodystrophy.  The Evanosky Foundation worked closely with Julie Allen (pictured far right - the grandmother of a child with MLD - with Bob Evanosky and Gov. Richardson), along with two other advocates and Rep. Rhonda S. King,to pass this important legislation.  The implementation of this law will allow approximately 28,000 babies each year to be screened for these diseases, which is especially beneficial for New Mexico since it has the highest incidence of Neimann-Pick C disease in the country.


San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Theraphy (HSR-TIGET), based in Milan, Italy, is seeking eight pre-symptomatic MLD patients for a gene therapy clinical trial that will be begin soon.  The trial will use a patient's own cells that have been genetically corrected to produce the Arylsulfatase-A (ARSA) enzyme.  All study costs will be paid for by the researchers.  For more information, click here to read a letter announcing the trial, or e-mail Dr. Alessandra Biffi at biffi.alessandra@hsr.it  or Dr. Maria Sessa at sessa.maria@hsr.it.


A new study at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, is using a new approach to provide cord blood transplants for babies affected by Krabbe Disease, metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), Pelizaeus-Maerzbacher Disease (PMD), Tay-Sachs disease or Sandoff Disease.  Click here for more information.


The Neurodevelopmental Function in Rare Disorders program at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill is seeking children to participate in two Krabbe studies.  For more information, please click here.


Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (right) discusses HB 716 while Brady Cunningham's family members (from left, Alyssa Pace, Becky Ruth, Jessy and Dustin Cunningham, and Teresa Cunningham) look on.The Evanosky Foundation was involved with promoting and advocating for newborn screening efforts in the State of Missouri.  House Bill 716, the Brady Alan Cunningham Newborn Screening Act,was signed into law by Governor Jay Nixon on July 8, 2009.  House Bill 716 mandates newborn screening for Krabbe, Pompe, Fabry, Neimann-Pick and Gaucher diseases-- the same diseases that The Evanosky Foundation advocated for in Illinois SB1566, which was passed in November 2007.   Missouri State Representative Tom Todd (Democrat, District 163), the key sponsor of the bill, issued a powerful press release on February 26, 2009 (click here to read)  The Cunningham family was featured on the local news in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. To read the story from KFVS, please click hereTo read an article about the bill signing that appeared on KFVS, please click here

Tragically, Brady Cunningham passed away on April 6, 2009.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.


The Evanosky Foundation's first House of Hope, an apartment available to families of children using the services of the Duke Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation Program and the Neurodevelopmental Function in Rare Disorders Program at UNC-Chapel Hill, celebrated its grand reopening on December 21, 2008, when it welcomed its second MLD family.  The House of Hope was briefly unoccupied when its first MLD family "graduated" and released by their doctors to head home.  While the apartment was empty, it underwent major changes, including the installation of laminate hardwood flooring, designer furniture, and wall art.  To see photos of the dramatic improvements, please click here.

Due to the dramatic success and the overwhelming demand for housing for post-transplant families, The Evanosky Foundation recently opened two additional Houses of Hope in 2009, with a fourth scheduled for 2010.  You can help stock our newest House with the household items needed to make it a home away from home for families of post-transplant patients.  Click here to find out more!


John, Jack and Christopher Evanosky, Fall 2004The Evanosky Foundation
P.O. Box 9234
Naperville, IL  60567
(630) 236-8039
evanoskyfoundation@evanoskyfoundation.org

The Evanosky Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations are tax deductible.  For more information, click here.

Further updates on the Evanosky family and their children can be found at www.caringbridge.org/il/evanosky.