In the summer after her 7^th grade year, Lauren Gearon was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. Her parents, Claudeen and Eric Lindberg, were told this disease was virtually incurable and their daughter had little chance of living through the summer.

Undaunted, Dr. Abdel Ragab refused to accept these odds and fought to have Lauren enrolled in a clinical trial at UCLA. Lauren was the only child in the trial and routinely ran fevers as high as 108 degrees. After a month of isolation, the family returned home to wait and see if the treatment had worked. That was thirty-seven years ago.

Knowing that few children diagnosed with the same disease are as fortunate as Lauren, Claudeen dug in to help Dr. Ragab with the young CURE organization immediately. She served on the board of directors for more than ten years and when she retired, Eric took her place. When his board service ended he joined the advisory council. They ran tennis tournaments and other fundraisers and had a profound impact on Dr. Ragab’s ability to diagnose children through money raised to purchase essential equipment. They also supported other families in the battle in ways too numerous to mention.

When she became an adult, Lauren joined their efforts and eventually took the reins with her husband, Michael, fervently by her side. Together, Michael and Lauren have been tireless champions and supporters for more than 30  years.

Lauren has served on CURE’s Board of Directors since 1997, including many terms in various officer roles and states unequivocally, “CURE is part of my family; it’s part of the fabric of who we are as a family.”

No one has given more to CURE than the Lindberg/Gearon family, both in terms of time and treasure. It is entirely fitting to honor their faithful service with an award that bears the name of the doctor who saved Lauren’s life.