Illumination 2026: Ten Years of Supporting the Search for a Cure!

Our 10th annual Illumination Chicago was a tremendous success this weekend! It was another incredible night of art, music, creativity, and great friends coming together for a cause that is deeply personal to my family.

This year's event was especially meaningful as we celebrated a DECADE of Illumination and the extraordinary community that has helped us raise millions of dollars for RVCL research since 2016.

My son Shawn created Illumination to honor my late wife, Ellen, who passed away in 2010 from Retinal Vasculopathy with Cerebral Leukoencephalopathy (RVCL), an ultra-rare genetic disease. What began as a tribute to his mother has grown into an incredible effort to advance medical research and support families affected by this devastating illness.

Most importantly, this year's event raised $1.4 million to continue the fight against RVCL!

The progress being made is REAL. Dr. Jonathan Miner and his team at Penn Medicine's RVCL Research Center, along with researchers around the world, are making significant advances toward developing treatments for this disease.

Earlier this year, The Clayco Foundation committed $10 million to support RVCL research at Penn Medicine, helping advance a promising therapy through critical preclinical studies and toward the possibility of human trials.

This is exactly why we continue to push so hard. Scientific breakthroughs require funding, collaboration, and persistence. We are closer to finding answers than we were ten years ago, but there is still important work ahead.

I'm incredibly proud of Shawn for creating Illumination and grateful to everyone who has helped make it such a success over the past decade. Our donors, sponsors, artists, volunteers, researchers, and friends have all played a role in moving this mission forward.

Although this was our final Halloween gala, our commitment to finding a cure is stronger than ever.

Ellen's legacy continues through the incredible work helping families affected by RVCL and other rare diseases.

THANK YOU to everyone who joined us and supported this important cause. We will keep funding research, advocating for patients, and pushing for the breakthroughs that can change lives.

The party may be over, but the mission continues!

Learn more and support RVCL research at RVCL.org.