Meet Paul Ruby
Paul Ruby is 46 years old and resides in Geneva with his wife, Linda, and sons, Wes and Logan.
After several years of wondering why his golf game was deteriorating and his left arm didn’t swing when he walked, Paul was finally referred to a neurologist. He went through the typical battery of tests to rule out potential causes and, in July of 2006, Paul was formally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The news was shocking to the Ruby family, but something they accepted and would battle in any way they could.
Soon it became difficult for Paul to even play baseball with his sons, much to all their disappointment. When Paul’s oldest son, Wes (age 10 at the time), read an article in the newspaper about then-President Bush’s veto of the stem cell research bill despite the fact that the majority of Americans were in favor of the program, he decided to send a letter to the President. When Paul read the final sentence of Wes’ letter, “All I want to do is be able to play catch with my dad,” he knew that if his young son was trying to make a difference, he certainly would try too.
Inspired by his son, Paul decided to rally his friends and other resources to sponsor a golf outing and concert fundraiser in the summer of 2007. What started out as a small one-time event grew into the formation of the Paul Ruby Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and a $70,000 contribution to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Three years after its inception, PRF has donated over $200,000 towards Parkinson’s research and has helped to increase awareness about the disease throughout the Chicago region. The Foundation aligned with Northwestern Hospital in 2008 and has funded two research projects that might not have been initiated without their support.
In 2010 the Paul Ruby Foundation will host the 4th Annual Concert for a Cure and is excited to be involved with the Sub 5 Century Challenge and the Geneva Film Festival to benefit Parkinson’s disease research.
Visit their website to learn more about the Paul Ruby Foundation or how you can contribute to this worthwhile organization.
