
Bronte
with her mother Beth at UC Davis "The Bronte Epilepsy Research Program"

Bronte at 10 years
with her mother Beth
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"When Mrs. Sordi first contacted me several
years ago, she was very clear on what she wanted - a cure for her
grandaughter Bronte..." say's
Dr.Edie Zusman, Bronte Epilepsy Research Laboratory Co-Director
Mary Lou recalls, "I took care
of Bronte every day for the first five years of her life while her
parents were at
work.
As time
went
by more and more complications came into play, my daughter, Bronte's
mother, had to take a leave of absence from work."
At just ten years old, Bronte has been
through so much pain and suffering but she keeps
fighting. "Raising money for research is our family's way of
fighting back," say's Mary Lou. Research being the hope for
a cure for Bronte and raise money they did! The Sordi's established
a non profit foundation, and started fundraising
by hosting golf tournaments, four
to date
raising
$1.2
million. Every
penny was donated to UC
Davis Department of Neurological Surgery and they founded
The Comprehensive Bronte Epilepsy Research Program. The Sordi's are
working with UC Davis to establish the first Endowed Chair for Epilepsy
Research. "The
Bronte Chair for Epilepsy Research will move the Bronte Epilepsy
Research Program
forward on
many levels, promoting the breakthrough epilepsy research we need
for Bronte, and so many others," say's Mary Lou.
Dr. Edie Zusman expresses, "People
in Sacramento now talk about epilepsy! Mary Lou Sordi has single
handedly changed
our communities perception of people with epilepsy and has supported
and promoted improved services and treatment for individuals suffering
from this isolating and long misunderstood [brain disorder]."
"Mary
Lou Sordi has worked vigilantly and without distraction to mobilize every
means possible to achieve her dream, [a cure for Bronte]. She has personally
gone into our community to share Bronte's story, educating people on
an individual basis and putting Bronte's lovely and compelling face
on a human
struggle. She has created interest in people seeking new information
about friends and family with this chronic disease. Through her efforts,
people
are now aware of breakthroughs in care and opportunities for improved
quality of life."
"Through her Epilepsy Research Foundation, Mrs.
Sordi has used her passion and resources to promote focused local
research to determine
the cause of and to find a cure for epilepsy. The community support
she generates played a significant role in our
ability to attract a team of nationally and internationally recognized
scientists and physicians to make a difference for epilepsy. Mary
Lou Sordi regularly participates in recruitment efforts, seminars
and research conferences for the UC Davis Comprehensive Epilepsy
Program. In order to promote an exchange of ideas with our best and
brightest colleagues and to educate the next generation of epilepsy
experts, Mary Lou has funded a prestigious lecture series of visiting
professors for the Bronte Epilepsy Research Program. She has personally
inspired our team to reach deeper, try harder and dream of new and
better ways to pursue the elusive scientific questions this disease
has posed. The result has been several hundred thousand dollars of
funding from grants for novel ideas about epilepsy and a planned
international symposium dedicated to comprehensive analysis of Lennox
Gastaut epilepsy. It is in part because of our comprehensive Epilepsy
Program that Neurosciences at UC Davis have recently been recognized
in US News and World Report as a top program."
You
Can Help Find A Cure!
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