About Green Eggs & LAM
Overview
Green Eggs & LAM is a grassroots organization based in Toronto, Canada, whose goal is to raise awareness and funds for Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (or "LAM" for short), a rare and devastating lung disease that affects women only. Our organization is led by LAM patient Catherine Lawrence, an inspiring and brave woman who was diagnosed with LAM in 2006.
Living with an illness is no laughing matter, and supporting a loved one with a serious illness can be extremely challenging. We hope to help anyone faced with a challenging situation and inspire them to laugh, dream and never lose hope.
Funds raised by our organization are used in the following ways:
- Contributed directly to: The William L. Stanford Stem Cell Research Lab, under the direction of the amazing Dr. William L. Stanford, Ph.D.
- Support LAM iPS stem cell research in partnership with the McEwen Center for Regenerative Medicine
- Used to finance medical summits and other research-related events in the medical science field.
History of Green Eggs & LAM
2007: SURPRISE!!!
The story of Green Eggs & LAM began in 2007, when a few very good friends of our fearless leader (and LAM patient), Catherine Lawrence, organized a surprise birthday party for her, and asked all guests to offer donations for LAM in lieu of birthday gifts. What resulted was an amazingly generous outpouring, with total funds raised that evening amounting to over $100,000.
Catherine and her friends were humbled and inspired beyond belief at the generosity of this relatively small group of incredible donors. They then thought that if this amount of money could be raised for LAM in one evening amongst a group of friends, just imagine what could be done and how much money could be raised if they reached out farther, to more friends and to the general public, to spread the word about LAM on an ongoing basis. It was immediately clear that this surprise birthday party was only the first of many exciting things to come!
2008: CN TOWER EVENT
On Tuesday May 20, 2008, Green Eggs & LAM took to the CN Tower to launch its first awareness gala. The event was timed to coincide with meetings of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) in Toronto, with many distinguished doctors and LAM specialists in attendance. The event hosted over 300 people, and was chaired by Global News anchor Leslie Roberts. Guests enjoyed cocktails, great food and great company, as they mingled with friends, heard from brilliant doctors and scientists, and learned more about LAM and our organization. The event was a huge success, with funds raised towards the cause and many, many smiling people saying "count me in for the next event!" The CN Tower event put the word out about Green Eggs & LAM, and it set the stage for something miraculous to come...
2009: MaRS SUMMIT
On April 2, 2009, Green Eggs & LAM held a fund raising and kick-off party at Toronto's innovative and amazing MaRS Centre, in honour and celebration of the international LAM medical summit that we were co-hosting. The funds raised at the kick-off party would go to finance the medical summit on LAM, happening the following day at the MaRS Centre. During the summit, over 30 doctors and scientists from around the world met for an entire day to share, learn and exchange ideas about LAM. The excitement and enthusiasm surrounding the summit was overwhelming, and the doctors and scientists held incredibly productive sessions and forged important and long lasting professional relationships, all in the name of LAM.
2009: LIVE, LOVE & LAUGH FOR LAM
On November 10th, 2009 a group of George Brown College students held a fabulous event to support Green Eggs & LAM.
Click here to learn more
2010: ROCK & ROLL & RESEARCH
2010 was an exciting year for Green Eggs & LAM. On May 18th, high school students at Havergal College put on a large, private, outdoor rock music festival for hundreds of their student peers from Toronto schools. The concert raised tremendous awareness & significant funding for LAM research. It was a spectacular day, and the students had a blast as they soaked up some amazing music, not to mention a wealth of information about LAM.
One group of students was so inspired by the day, they decided to volunteer their time and work in the Stanford Lab throughout the summer of 2010.
Principal of Havergal College, Dr. Sue Groesbeck, hosted a VIP reception to coincide with the concert, at which guests had the opportunity to speak with some of the brilliant doctors researching LAM, and learn more about the exciting progress researchers are making.
2011: SCIENCE OF THE LAM
Supporters of Green Eggs and LAM gathered in a private home. Dr. William Stanford and Dr. Kamal Garcha presented the research developed at the Stanford Laboratory at the University of Toronto. The participants were so captivated by the research progress and its implications that they donated $60,000 during the evening.
