Boulevard to Host Fundraising Dinner for Team LUCY

As a parent, I would loose my mind if one of my kids got a terminal illness. I can't even imagine the mental torture of watching my child die. My wife is active on Wish Upon a Hero, and I've seen some of the blogs parents have put together to document an illness. They do that as a way of reaching out to family and friends, as well as building awareness and seeking support. It tears your heart out during the last few days. Right now I'm getting a little emotional just thinking about it.

Tony Lux, Boulevard's Purveyor of Technology, is friends with a family who is going through this ordeal.  Lucy was diagnosed with Pediatric Low Grade Astrocytoma (PLGA) in 2006 when she was one year old. That is a brain tumor on her optic nerve.  Her family's life change forever that day. 

PLGA is the most common type of brain tumor diagnosed in children, yet there is virtually nothing known about it..  There is no cure and there have been no significant improvements in treating it.  This was not acceptable to Lucy's parents.  They were not going to sit around and just watch.  They formed Team LUCY in conjunction with the PLGA Foundation to raise funds for medical expenses and build awareness.  Even though PLGA is the most commonly diagnosed brain tumor and represents the largest cause of tumor deaths in children, yet regretfully, it remains an "orphan disease":

• no advocacy organization,
• no change in survival rates,
• no steady stream of funding for research, and
• no meaningful change to the state of understanding of this disease.

Tony wanted to do his part, so he organized a fundraising beer dinner at Boulevard.  "We're trying to get as many tickets sold as we can. I know the family enjoys reading feedback on their carebridge site. Bev (the mother) said it makes her day when people post kind words. So something as simple as that would go a long way if you know people who care to read through the families ordeal

Brain cancer is a tough thing especially for a one year old. The dinner was my idea to at least do something to help with medical expenses. The dad has basically stopped working to take care of Lucy full time. This can be tough on a family."

The dinner will be held September 12th, 5-9pm, in Boulevard's Mueglebach Suite.  This four course meal will feature three courses by award winning chef Michael Smith followed by a signature dessert by Christopher Elbow.  Individual tickets for the dinner are $100, however larger ticket packages have already sold out.  After the dinner there will be a silent auction to raise additional funds for Lucy's medical treatment.  Tickets can be purchased at: http://teamlucy.eventbrite.com/