2011 Kate Foundation for Rett Syndrome Research Gala Video

With a few weeks to go before the September Gala date, we thought we’d have plenty of time to put together a short video to show that night. We thought it was essential to tell our family’s story and to explain Rett science in a way that wasn’t unnecessarily complex. We didn’t think some of the detail would work well within our speeches and we expected the video to be an important component of the program. Then the hurricane forecast took an ominous turn and we spent several days battening down the hatches of our home. Once the storm struck and we were out of power for the week, we thought we’d have to scrap the video concept.

That’s when we called our friend Jeff Bemiss, a filmmaker, about six days before the Gala. His wife was out of town on business, but he said, “I’ll get a babysitter for the kids and I’ll be there tomorrow all day.” In the following three days, he filmed, produced and edited a video which exceeded anything we had imagined.

Many Gala guests told us later the video was one of the highlights of the evening and helped them understand the challenges Kate faces as well as the real promise behind the science of reversing Rett syndrome.

Many thanks to Jeff and to filmmaker Jason Rem, who allowed us to use footage from his documentary ‘RETT’.

The video can be viewed on our website at www.katefoundation.org in the 2011 Gala pull-down menu.