Connective Issues Fall 2022

AWARD SPOTLIGHT Dr. Peter Byers and Frances Marin Receive Awards at the E 3 Conference

Dr. Peter Byers is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Department of Medicine (Division of Medical Genetics) at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and is a member of the Scientific and Professional Advisory Boards for The Marfan Foundation and The VEDS Movement. At the E 3 Conference, Dr. Byers was presented with the first Dr. John DeMasi Award for his leadership, care, research, and advocacy for people with VEDS for more than 40 years. This was the first award of its kind to honor the late Dr. John DeMasi who was a steadfast advocate for the VEDS community. In 2017, John and his brother David launched a nonprofit -- FIGHT vEDS. He also partnered with a lab to launch a genetic testing program that helped people obtain rapid, affordable genetic testing which continues today. Dr. DeMasi worked with researchers to launch the first VEDS International

p Dr. Peter Byers, right, with Dr. John DeMasi’s brother and leader of Fight vEDS, David. Right: Dr. John DeMasi.

Research Symposium and establish the VEDS Collaborative. At the time of his passing in 2020, John was actively working on efforts to launch the first clinical trial in VEDS.

"Grateful doesn't even begin to describe how appreciative I am of Peter Byers. He has dedicated his life to helping the VEDS community purely because he has an enormous heart. His wealth of knowledge has not only improved the lives of people with VEDS, but countless other family members and future generations of people with VEDS. He is truly an amazing human, and we are lucky to have him as an advocate." – Aaron Sander

Frances Marin was presented with the first Cathy Bowen Award for her unwavering support of the VEDS community over the last 18 years. She became involved after her daughter was diagnosed in 2004 at age 10 and has been her daughter’s advocate in making sure she receives proper treatment, educating her team of specialists on VEDS, and raising awareness among other medical professionals. Frances has helped countless newly diagnosed people and their families get the information they need about medical resources, social support, and research. This award was named in honor of Cathy Bowen, who recently passed away. Cathy fought tirelessly for people with VEDS Mother,” she made it her mission to help save lives by spreading VEDS awareness, education, and to help other families. She educated medical professionals and developed a VEDS CD-ROM to educate those in emergency medicine. Cathy’s work to advocate for people with VEDS over the 25 years after David’s death touched many lives in our community. in memory of her son, David. David passed away from VEDS at the age of 14 in 1996 before he was diagnosed with the condition. Known as the “VEDS

p Frances with her daughter, Bella, and husband, Raul. Left: Cathy with her son, David.

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