Shortly after doctors diagnosed her two-year-old Sam with Progeria, Leslie left her planned career as a pediatric ophthalmologist to focus completely on finding a cure for this fatal childhood disease. She formed The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF), and serves as its medical director. Her work as a medical researcher and foundation leader has brought about incredible strides toward not only helping save her own son’s life, but countless numbers of other children as well.
Leslie has conducted her work at a number of the most academically select and respected of medical research institutions, including Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, MA; Rhode Island Hospital; and Brown University Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, both in Providence, Rhode Island, and the National Human Genome Research Institute at NIH in Bethesda, MD.
Leslie’s achievements in so short a time represent a truly heroic effort on behalf of children everywhere:
1999: Leslie establishes The Progeria Research Foundation, the first and only organization dedicated solely to finding a treatment and a cure for Progeria.
1999–2001: Leslie establishes a Progeria Cell and Tissue Bank, Clinical and Research Database, Medical Research Committee, and holds scientific workshops on Progeria
2003: Leslie and a team of scientists discover the Progeria gene and establish the first genetic test for Progeria
2004: Leslie initiates clinical studies on Progeria in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health
2005: Leslie co-authors a study evaluating the use of certain cancer drugs to treat children with Progeria
My sister, Leslie Gordon, shows how a parent can take on the most daunting challenges in life and bring extraordinary strength, commitment, talent, and courage to overcome all obstacles. Leslie’s efforts helped lead to the discovery of the Progeria gene and a potential drug treatment. She conceived PRF to win this race against time for Sam and other children with Progeria, defining criteria, assembling the specialists, and convincing some of the nation’s premier medical research institutions to become involved. Leslie Gordon, M.D., PhD inspires and motivates, balancing work and family, to illuminate new paths of knowledge and cures to save children’s lives.
To learn more about Dr. Gordon and her cause, and how you can make a difference, please visit:
www.progeriaresearch.org.
Read More Hero Stories >
