For Immediate Release

Contact: info@stopsarcoidosis.org

CELEBRITY PATIENTS JOIN THE FOUNDATION FOR SARCOIDOSIS RESEARCH TO LAUNCH
NATIONAL SARCOIDOSIS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN AT K.I.S.S. CHICAGO 2007

Chicago, IL (3 February 2007) On Saturday, February 3rd, the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) launched the annual nationwide education and awareness campaign, Kick In to Stop Sarcoidosis® (K.I.S.S.) at KISS Chicago 2007. This event brought together supporters, patients and well-known celebrity patients to raise more than $150,000 to support sarcoidosis research and to launch a week of nationwide activities designed to raise awareness of this devastating disease.

Introducing the night's program, FSR Founder and President Andrea Wilson, expressed her gratitude to the more than 400 guests who braved temperatures in the single digits to attend. “That there are so many faces here tonight is a testament to the success of the Foundation in raising support for this little known and hard to pronounce disease. When I was diagnosed there was not a resource for answers and little funding was available to support research. Today FSR is that resource.”

Karen Russell daughter of famed NBA player Bill Russell was joined in emcee duties by NBC-5 news anchor Rob Elgas in sharing personal experiences with this disease. (Pictured at right:
Rob Elgas, Andrea Wilson & Karen Russell, Courtesy Chicago Social Magazine.) A Harvard educated attorney and a TV legal analyst in Seattle, both Ms. Russell and her father have sarcoidosis. “It was frustrating to discover that even our doctors struggled to understand the disease. That is what makes this campaign so important, empowering patients in the understanding of their disease.”

In 2002, NBC's Chicago Affiliate WMAQ lost well-known sports anchor Darrian Chapman to undiagnosed cardiac sarcoidosis. Echoing comments from Mr. Elgas that the campaign could prevent a similar tragedy from affecting another family, Ms. Russell offered, "As a patient, one of the hardest things is that very few people have heard of it. The biggest bonus in working with FSR has been to meet other patients and to discover that although we may look different on the outside our challenging paths to diagnosis were very similar."

Announcing the first of three special recognition awards, Ms. Russell told the crowd "While everyone knows my father as a great basketball champion, he truly is a champion for his daughter and all those who like me struggle with this disease." 2007 Honorees:

• Bill Russell
  Bill Russell has joined his daughter Karen to help raise awareness of sarcoidosis by recording a special Public Service Announcement for FSR. A legendary basketball player who won 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics, he is also the champion of this important cause.

• Marc A. Judson, MD, KISS Investigator Award
  Dr. Judson is director of the MUSC Sarcoidosis Center, one of the largest sarcoidosis clinics in the United States. He has extensive experience in the clinical management of sarcoidosis and is currently collaborating with Northwestern University’s Center for Outcomes Research & Education in Chicago on patient quality of life.

• Sloan Valve Company
  Through their annual leadership contributions to the KISS Campaign, Sloan Valve Company, a world-class manufacturer of plumbing products, and the Allen family have made a significant impact on the lives of those with sarcoidosis.

Actress and sarcoidosis patient Karen 'Duff' Duffy announced the live auction which featured a pilot script signed by the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award-winning ensemble cast of Grey's Anatomy. Grey's star Isaiah Washington announced publicly in 2006 that he had lost his mother to sarcoidosis. (Pictured at right: Andrea Wilson & Karen 'Duff' Duffy, Courtesy Chicago Social Magazine.)

“KISS Chicago and the annual Kick In to Stop Sarcoidosis® campaign provide an opportunity to recognize those working to advance the Foundation's mission to improve the lives of those affected by sarcoidosis and to find a cure for this disease,” said Debbie Durrer, Executive Director of FSR.

In addition to the three awards given during the event, the Foundation announced their first research award of 2007, the FSR-ATS Partnership Grant for Sarcoidosis ($100,000) and unveiled a new comprehensive consumer publication on the disease.

• FSR Congratulates the 2007-2008 FSR-ATS Grant Recipient: Michael Falta, UCDHSC School of Medicine.
  Dr. Falta's research focuses on understanding how one type of immune blood cell, called T lymphocytes become overactivated in sarcoidosis patients and to determine how they are involved in the formation of granulomas. This information might lead to an understanding of what causes disease and suggest new therapies for treating it.

• FSR Announces New Consumer Publication on Sarcoidosis: Sarcoidosis and the Body
  Early diagnosis and treatment of sarcoidosis can help relieve symptoms, reduce inflammation and stop or minimize organ damage. This 36-page brochure provides a comprehensive overview of symptoms, diagnosis and current treatment options. 

Sarcoidosis (pronounced SAR-COY-DO-SIS) is an inflammatory disease that can affect almost any organ in the body. It causes heightened immunity which means that a person's immune system, which normally protects the body from infection and disease, overreacts, resulting in damage to the body's own tissues. Sarcoidosis is often serious and can even be life-threatening, especially if you do not you have it. The cause remains unknown and there is no cure.

The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to improving care for patients and to finding a cure for this disease. Since 2000, FSR has worked to position sarcoidosis as a growing problem on the U.S. health care agenda and established itself as the authoritative resource for patients, health professionals and the public.

2007 Campaign Corporate Supporters include:  Sloan Valve Company, NBC-5 Chicago, Modern Luxury Magazines/Chicago Social, Grey Goose Vodka, Burrell Communications Group, Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, @ World Properties, BET, Marsh, Bernardi Securitie.

KISS Chicago 2007 Co-Chairs:  Linda Finkel & Dustin O'Regan.  Auction Chair:  Carla Hahn.