FAMILY CALLING

THE FAMILY THAT GIVES TOGETHER

If you ask members of the Dearing family what motivates them to make gifts to Houston Methodist through their Jerry C. Dearing Family Foundation, they will answer it is a personal calling.

“With relatives and friends affected by Alzheimer’s disease, we’ve seen firsthand what it can do to patients and families,” says Kate Dearing Fowler, executive director of The Jerry C. Dearing Family Foundation. “There are therapies that can help, but there is no cure. It is noble to pursue anything that can either turn back the clock on this disease or stop it altogether.” In prior years, the foundation provided funding for three groundbreaking Houston Methodist Alzheimer’s disease research studies. The foundation’s 2020 gift supports three initiatives, one of which is the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute Cellular Therapy Research Fund. This fund explores cell therapy as a promising treatment for a broad spectrum of conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease. When they noticed the pandemic was restricting hospital visitors and isolating patients, the family directed the second part of their foundation’s 2020 commitment to help purchase tablets to virtually connect families. “I can’t imagine a joyous occasion like having a child — or the sadness of losing a loved one — and not being able to be there,” says Fowler. “Technology allows people to see each other, even if it’s through a screen.”

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth 10 billion,” adds Jerry Dearing, the foundation’s founder and board president. Dearing says Houston Methodist’s innovative ways to combat COVID-19 inspired the third portion of the foundation’s 2020 gift to support the Infectious Diseases Research Fund (IDRF). “This was like being on a battlefield,” he says. “We wanted to pitch in to help fight that war at whatever level we could.” Fowler says supporting the IDRF was a natural fit for the foundation. “Bringing innovations to this sector will help us stay one step ahead,” she says. “There are other infectious diseases lurking around the corner. The more we can be prepared, the better.”

Turning her passion for advocacy into leadership, Fowler is now a member of the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute National Council. “Incredible work is happening here that you don’t see anywhere else, which really excites me,” she says. “Because of Houston Methodist’s resources and talent, they accomplish amazing things that I would have never thought were possible.”

From left to right: John Dearing, Rose Dearing, Jerry Dearing, Kristin Dearing, Noah Dearing and Kate Dearing Fowler