JMCDF event in the SF Chronicle
Ray of light: All eyes were on 4-year-old Ashley Harper when his dad, Tyson Harper, and grandparents Debby andPeter Magowan hosted the first-ever “friend-raiser” reception May 10 at their home to raise awareness for the Jack McGovern Coats Disease Foundation.
When 16-year-old Jack McGovern, a St. Ignatius student, received his diagnosis by UCSF specialist Dr. Mike Jumper in 2006, his parents, Tina and Ed McGovern, were at a loss for information on this rare pediatric retinal disease that can lead to blindness. But their diligent research inspired them to help others by creating this foundation.
“Coats is considered an ‘orphan’ because there is so little information out there,” Jumper said. “No drug company wants to adopt the cause until more research is done. So for now, we rely on private philanthropy to fund this critical research.”
And because Ashley Harper was also diagnosed with Coats, his grandparents were more than happy to step up to the plate, offering their tickets to a Giants game and other goodies, including signed baseballs, T-shirts, caps and a private Magowan-led tour of the ballpark.
Bidding among the 120 guests (including Jennifer and Matt Cook; Elizabeth and Stephen Revetria; Dr. Rick Glogauand his wife, Pam Glogau; singer Eoin Harrington; and America’s Cup spokeswoman Stephanie Martin) was as frenzied as the final inning of a Giants nail-biter. But for $2K, Julie and Brian Birmingham closed it out for a good cause.