Our Mission

To increase the understanding and visibility of autoimmune diseases while raising research funds to use in solving the puzzle of autoimmunity.

Creating a Legacy and Advancing Autoimmune Research through Pat’s Fund

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Ten years ago, Judi Rising and her family said goodbye too soon to a wonderful son, husband, and father — Pat (John Patrick Barnes) — whose life was taken from an autoimmune disease. After battling Hodgkin’s disease since he was a senior at Washington State University, he was struck with an autoimmune response called idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP), which causes internal bleeding. ITP is a form of a blood platelet disease that mistakenly recognizes blood platelets as invaders and begins to rapidly destroy them.

Judi’s family has chosen to remember Pat by creating Pat’s Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing understanding to the millions whose lives are impacted by autoimmune disease. In recent years, Pat’s Fund has forged a close partnership with Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) and now gives 100 percent of its profits to BRI. Pat’s Fund made their first donation to BRI five years ago and has contributed over $65,000 to advance autoimmune disease research at BRI.

“Heartache is an ever-present weight following the death of a child. Even so, I feel lifted each time we are able to give to BRI” says Judi. “It brings us all closer to identifying causes and cures for autoimmune diseases. Achievements from research in Pat’s name can encourage a longer, healthier future for many and a lasting legacy for him.”

For more information on giving to BRI, visit http://www.BenaroyaResearch.org/donate-now.

10 Years Later

After living for ten years with the loss of Pat many things are different for those who loved him most, and some remain the same.

Pat is just as lost to his family as he was the day following his passing. His widow while happily remarried and the mother of three girls continues to remember and consider his loss. His 10-year old daughter Riley (3-months old at his death) is just beginning to learn about her birth father.

However, the non-profit that bears his name, Pat’s Fund, has grown and matured along with the general understanding about autoimmunity. Soon after Pat’s death we gave much attention to his personal disease, ITP, a destroyer of blood platelets. Today the large part of our program is education and the raising of money for autoimmune disease research - for all autoimmune diseases (AD).

In recent years Pat’s Fund has forged a close partnership with Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI). By interacting with BRI our supporters have learned and understood a great deal about autoimmune disease. Our little group has the ear of medical and scientific minds known around the world. We receive regular support and encouragement from these amazing people. At this point we are able to move through the community presenting clear and accurate information about this important category of diseases that affects one in five people in the United States, and is of particular impact in the Pacific Northwest. Understandably, all profits from Pat’s Fund are donated to BRI specifically for AD research.

While the early members of the Pat’s Fund board and volunteers were family and close friends, we now search out a wide variety of men and women with reason to believe in the importance of our mission. There are 80 diagnosed autoimmune diseases and 50 million people in the U.S. who live with them. The cost in personal suffering as well as the financial impact is staggering. Even though a handful of the conditions are now receiving attention, most remain in a diagnosis black hole with little in the way of therapies or medications to relieve symptoms. There is little understanding in the general communities about the links between all these conditions and the importance of family genetics.

Chapter two of our family story began with the multiple sclerosis diagnosis for our daughter Tracey. As is now known, there is a genetic predisposition within families to developing one or more autoimmune diseases. Even when a family has experienced a death from AD it still comes as somewhat of a shock when the next "shoe drops". Now I can’t help but wonder about my other son Brad.

This is a subject that all people need to know about. If affects family, friends, the work place, associations of all kinds and moves throughout all lines of people. It can be mild, annoying, serious, a threat to income and life style, and the cause of death. In all cases these diseases are chronic and without cure. While research is underway around the World there is not nearly enough attention being given to reach the needed answers. Probably the biggest challenge to more research is that many who live with AD appear to the outside world to be just fine. While in reality so many struggle just to get up in the morning and begin another day.

It is the mission of Pat’s Fund to bring this story to a broad range of people with credibility and in a way that will capture their attention and move them to action. Once that happens for a critical mass, the remaining pieces of the puzzle will be located and put in place.

Our Story The death of a child can only be truly understood by those who have experienced such a loss. Beyond the enduring heartache, how a parent responds will differ with each situation and each individual. We have chosen to remember Pat by creating a memorial in his name. Our mission is to bring importance and understanding to the millions whose lives and deaths are impacted by autoimmune disease (AD). Pat (John Patrick Barnes) grew up healthy and happy in Bellevue Washington. As a senior at Washington State University he developed Hodgkin’s disease.

Over the next 10 years he was treated with both radiation and chemotherapy, which subsequently adversely impacted his immune system. In turn he was struck with an autoimmune response in the form of a blood platelet disease called autoimmune idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP). Simply put his immune system mistakenly recognized his own blood platelets as invaders of his body and began to rapidly destroy them. Internal bleeding and infection could not be stopped and he died seven weeks after entering the hospital.

This is the kind of story that never makes the evening news. However, what it lacks in sensationalism it makes up for in rapidly increasing numbers of those who develop autoimmune diseases every day of every year in all parts of the world. Most people would be quite startled to learn about the list of familiar diseases that are attributed to autoimmune response: rheumatoid arthritis (RA), multiple sclerosis (MS), type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, lupus, Crohn’s Disease, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, and many more.

More than 80 such diseases affect as many as 50 million U.S. citizens.

It is our purpose through Pat’s Fund to steadily increase awareness, support and available money for autoimmune disease research. Great and amazing achievements are currently being made by the research scientists we work with at Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason in Seattle Washington.

To those who knew and loved him, Pat’s 33 years were all too few. His daughter Riley, his family and many friends miss him. Achievements from research in his name can encourage a longer, healthier future for many and a lasting legacy for him.