Generous Donation of $11 Million to Lurie Children's Hospital for Rare Disease Research

A couple with deep ties to the Chicago area, Don and Anne Edwards, are donating $11 million to Lurie Children's Hospital to support research, treatment, and diagnosis for children with rare and genetic disorders.

This generous gift will specifically fund the Edwards Family Division of Genetics and Rare Diseases at Lurie. Don Edwards, founder and executive chairman of Flexpoint Ford, has personal experience with genetic disorders, and he is also a board member at Lurie.

They plan to use the donation to expand training for pediatric geneticists, addressing the shortage of geneticists in Illinois, which currently has only about one geneticist per million residents. The funds will also enable more genetic testing at Lurie, speeding up diagnosis and treatment for patients.

Furthermore, the donation will nearly triple the number of gene therapy and clinical research trials at Lurie over the next three to five years. Dr. Carlos Prada, head of the newly renamed division at Lurie, called the gift transformational, noting that it can take years for children with early symptoms to receive a proper diagnosis.

According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, rare diseases affect approximately 25 to 30 million Americans, while about 1.5 million people in Illinois are impacted by rare or unknown diseases.

Carrie Pinkham, a parent whose son Jack has a rare genetic condition, expressed her gratitude for the donation, emphasizing its potential to change the trajectory of lives for children with similar conditions.

This significant donation highlights the critical role of philanthropy in advancing medical research and treatment for rare genetic disorders.