(Dr. Dave Williams, guest of honour and speaker at Jack’s Gala shares a moment with Jack, aged nine, and his younger brothers, Scott, aged seven and Tom, aged four. Dr. Williams also autographed photos for each of boys. Photos: Stittsville Central)
Our community family, the Laidlaw’s, have a nine-year old son Jack who was diagnosed in 2023 with SPG4 – a disease that is slowly paralyzing him. Jack dreams of being an astronaut and the first person to walk on Mars. The family will do anything to save their son so he can reach for the stars!
Jack was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia Type 4 (SPG4), that currently has no cure or treatment. It is a progressive disease, and Jack’s diagnosis means he is slowly becoming paralyzed over time due to neuron degeneration in his brain. Researchers are developing a gene therapy and cure for SPG4, but it requires funding to continue. The family is urgently trying to fund this cure to go to human clinical trials, so Jack can participate before he becomes paralyzed. A cure for their son is a cure for everyone affected by SPG4.
This past Saturday, Anna and Richard Laidlaw hosted their second gala ‘Reaching for the Stars – a Night of Hope’ at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata. The evening was an experience of travelling in space for the over 200 family members, friends and supporters who attended the lavish fundraiser.
Stittsville’s Tyler Kealey returned again this year to gladly volunteer his time to entertain guests as he played piano during the cocktail reception. Derek Fage was again the MC, with Stewart James as the auctioneer.
Special guest Dr. Dave Williams, celebrated Canadian emergency physician, former Canadian Space Agency Astronaut and aquanaut (participating in NASA’s NEEMO 1 mission), author, and serves as the CEO of LEAP Biosystems. Dr. Williams is highly recognized for completing two Space Shuttle missions (STS-90 and STS-118), executing three spacewalks, and previously serving as the Director of Space and Life Sciences at NASA. He shared many stories from his extraordinary career.
Just prior to Jack’s Gala, nine-year-old Liam Liu held a week-long lemonade stand ending with a porch concert and raised more than $10,000 for his best friend, Jack, and the SPG4 cause.
Every moment of this special night supports a powerful mission. At this year’s event, over $226,000.00 was raised to support the research for SPG4 thanks to the generosity of our community.
Kevin Hau was also in attendance and was pleased to share a few of his photos with us:
All proceeds from this year’s gala will again fund groundbreaking SPG4 research, to support the discovery of the world’s first cure for SPG4, and to show that together, we can truly reach for the stars.
To find out more about the Laidlaw family, the Blu Genes Foundation SPG4 charity and the family’s fundraising efforts, visit the following links below:
- The Canadian charity website (The Blu Genes Foundation – SPG4 Cure): https://blugenes.org/spg4-cure/
- Public social media pages: SPG4 Cure Fundraiser (Facebook) and @spg4curefundraiser (Instagram)