Patrick's Story
Devastated by his diagnosis, Patrick's family and friends set out in an attempt to change the course of what was destined to occur. Patrick's aunt, Judy Butler told us about a researcher whom she thought could help. The researcher, Dr. Bill Lynn, had come from Duke University to do research on aging at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Upon meeting Patrick, Dr. Lynn established an instant bond with him on a personal level and became fascinated with A-T for its scientific relevance to his work.
A-T is sometimes called the Rosetta Stone of medical research because unlocking its mysteries will translate into an understanding of a myriad of degenerative diseases involving the nervous and immune systems, including cancer. Many of these diseases are associated with aging. Children with A-T suffer age-related symptoms in their teens that the general population suffers in their advanced years.
After recruiting Dr. Lynn in 1991, Patrick's family and friends organized a foundation, named The A-T Project, to support Dr. Lynn's research and that of others around the country. Despite Dr. Lynn's tireless efforts and Patrick's valiant will, Patrick died at age 14½ with complications from lymphoma and a bone marrow transplant.
In his work to save Patrick and learn more about A-T and other diseases, Dr. Lynn joined forces with Dr. Paul Wong at M. D. Anderson's Science Park-Research Division in Smithville, Texas. Together, Doctors Lynn and Wong have led a brilliant team of scientists who have made landmark discoveries in the fields of neuro and immunodegenerative diseases. Among many notable achievements, their team is the first in the world to prevent lymphoma in mice with A-T and to prevent neurodegeneration in mice with a similar engineered virus. These remarkable breakthroughs have set the stage for further advancements.
To better convey its mission, The A-T Project was renamed The Longevity Foundation in 2005. The Foundation is dedicated to funding scientists who will collaborate with each other to achieve rsults in the shortest time at the least expense. In addition to the team at M.D. Anderson-Smithville, his network includes researchers at Duke University and Cato Research in North Carolina, Northwestern University in Chicago, Texas A&M University at College Station, The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston,and the Baylor School of Medicine in Houston.
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