Updates
March 17, 2024
Today would have been David's 32nd Birthday and the fact that it falls on St. Patrick's Day always made David feel special. We always watched the parade together as a family. When he was young, he felt that the Parade in New York City was for him. That's also why he loved the color Green so much! We miss him and love him more than ever!
We are proud to announce that we have completed the necessary fundraising for the David J. Kabakow Lectureship Program, to be held at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. This Lectureship Program will bring together healthcare professionals, drug company employees, and researchers both in person and virtually, who have an interest in Secondary HLH. The inaugural event will take place at the hospital in Boston on Friday, September 13, 2024. Because we are dedicated to the early detection, and a cure, we will continue to fundraise fo research and education of this horrible disease.
Please stay tuned for additional information on the Lectureship Program as the details are finalized with Brigham and Women's Hospital, in the near future. We thank you all for your generous support through the years, as this annual event wouldn't be possible without you.
Robin & Mark Kabakow
October 23, 2023
Hi Everyone,
This is Will and Zach, two of David’s oldest friends.
To us, he was Kabs - ever effervescent, always laughing, and always making us laugh. We met at Camp Echo Lake at twelve years old, back in 2004, and created many great memories in the years that followed. We’re still trying to process how we lost him - he is always on our minds and we miss him dearly. It’s surreal that today is the eighth anniversary of his passing.
It brings us great joy that we’ve been able to help Robin and Mark with the David J. Kabakow Foundation, building the website and communicating with you all. We’re excited to announce that the foundation is 95% of the way toward our fundraising goal of $100,000, at which point we can establish the lectureship. Given the rarity of HLH, the disease that took David from us, we are determined to spread knowledge and raise awareness so that others suffering from HLH can be diagnosed and treated earlier.
We truly appreciate all of you who have made generous donations, and all who have taken the time to learn about HLH and David’s story. And we’re so grateful for all that Robin, Mark and Dr. Berliner have done in David’s memory.
Love,
Will and Zach
March 17, 2023
As we approach David’s 31st birthday, we can’t help but wonder what his life would be like today? He was always thrilled that his birthday was on St Patrick’s Day. When he was young he thought the parades, costumes and celebrations were all part of his special day.This October 23rd it will be 8 years since David passed away. We can’t believe how fast time has moved on and how long it feels since we have been with him.
It has not been easy but we are determined to leave a meaningful legacy in his honor. We think he would have liked that and the fact that this Lectureship will educate doctors and health care professionals about HLH. We hope that the new information and knowledge will assist in early detection and give more opportunities for treatment to save lives.
We are pleased to announce that we have reached 75% of our commitment to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and with your help we can obtain the funds necessary to get the Lectureship underway. Please consider a donation to the David J. Kabakow Foundation. We appreciate your support.
Sincerely,
Robin & Mark Kabakow
October 23, 2022
Today marks the 7th anniversary of David's passing. It doesn't seem possible that so many years have passed. David is still part of our life in thoughts and feelings everyday.
We are excited to announce that we have received official confirmation from the Brigham and Women's Hospital (Mass General Brigham) of the establishment of The David Kabakow Lectureship in Adult Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis headed by Dr. Nancy Berliner M.D. We recently made our first donation of 50% of the total commitment to establish the lectureship program. Once we reach our goal, the Lectureship will start with the first presentation in the Spring. This lectureship will create a legacy in his name and will continue in perpetuity.
We have received three thank you letters from the hospital. You can download the letter from Dr. Berliner, and below are excerpts from hospital leadership:
Robert S.D. Higgins, MD, MSHA, President of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Executive Vice President, Mass General Brigham
"This meaningful lectureship will provide important resources to our healthcare community as well as expand our knowledge and understanding of this rare and complicated condition"
Susan E. Rapple, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer
"Your foresight in establishing this lectureship will continue David's legacy and provide awareness and hope for others dealing with this often mis-understood disease. We truly are grateful to your commitment to our shared mission to this vital effort."
We are thrilled to have made our initial donation in David’s memory with your help. Our goal is to raise awareness in the medical community about this rare disease which will hopefully result in saving more lives. This annual Lectureship will require us to raise additional funds to meet the necessary requirements of the Lectureship. We appreciate any and all help to reach our goal.
Thank you all for your continued support in memory of David.
With much love and appreciation,
Robin & Mark Kabakow
March 17, 2022
Announcing the David J Kabakow Lectureship
When we start to see green shamrocks and leprechauns, we know that it is almost David’s birthday. Today, March 17th, 2022 would have been David’s 30th Birthday.
As many of you know, David had acquired Adult (Secondary) HLH, which is a very rare disease. After David passed away, we made a pact to always tell any new doctor we meet about HLH. Many physicians, nurse pracitioners, and caregivers are unfamiliar with the disease. These knowledge gaps have led to under-diagnosis and delayed diagnosis with poor outcomes, and many Adult HLH patients die undiagnosed. This fact is what motivated us to start this foundation. There is a great need to educate the medical community about this orphan disease so more patients can get the treatment they need.
We are pleased to announce that we are in continued discussions with Dr. Nancy Berliner, Chief of Hematology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA to establish The David J. Kabakow Lectureship. Guest lecturers from around the world will be invited to Brigham to talk about HLH. It will also be taped by the Brigham Audio Visual Team and made available to other experts and professional associations, and to the David J. Kabakow Foundation to share with supporters via the Foundation’s website and other digital communications.
Our mission is more awareness and quicker diagnosis of Adult HLH. This annual Lectureship will require us to raise additional funds to meet the necessary requirements of the Lectureship.
Please help us educate the medical community.
Sincerely,
Robin & Mark Kabakow
October 23, 2021
A Message From Robin and Mark Kabakow
October 23rd, 2021 is the 6th anniversary of our son David losing his battle with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). We have created the David J Kabakow Foundation in hope of raising funds to help educate the medical community about this rare disease, and secondly to help fund research of adult HLH.
Since the foundation's launch in March of this year, we have been able to connect with Dr. Nancy Berliner at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. We first met her at an HLH Conference at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, which is the leading authority on diagnosing and treating Childhood HLH. At the conference we heard Dr. Berliner’s presentation and her focus is on Adult HLH. Dr. Berliner has agreed to partner with us to help us carry out our mission of education and research of Secondary Adult HLH. Prior to COVID-19, in addition to her other responsibilities, Dr. Berliner flew around the country making presentations to medical professionals (Grand Rounds). We have chosen to work with Dr. Berliner because she is one of the leading doctors in the field of Hematology and one who specifically has interest in researching Adult HLH.
Dr. Nancy Berliner
Dr. Nancy Berliner, the H. Franklin Bunn Professor of Medicine and the Chief of Hematology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston, MA. She received her medical degree from Yale Medical School, and obtained 23rd training as a Resident in Internal Medicine, Internal Resident Chief Resident, and Hematology Fellow at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She then spent 20 years on the faculty of the Yale University School of Medicine, where she rose through the ranks to Professor of Internal Medicine and Genetics. She has broad clinical interests in both classical hematology and hematologic malignancies. Her research is focused on the regulation of neutrophil-specific gene expression and its disruption in myelodysplasia and acute leukemia, and on the pathogenesis of anemia in the elderly. She has also become a world expert in the clinical features of Secondary Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).
Dr. Berliner has served on the Editorial Boards of Blood, the European Journal of Hematology, and the American Journal of Hematology. She received the Stohlman Prize from the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society of America. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Clinical and Climatological Society, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and the Interurban Clinical Club, and is a fellow of the American Association of the Advancement of Science and the American College of Physicians. Dr. Berliner is the author of more than 150 Original articles, reviews, and chapters.
