Nancy Davis' Cure Addiction Now to Host First Fundraiser at Beverly Hills Hotel
Cure Addiction Now (CAN) will hold its first fundraising event on February 24 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The organization, founded by Nancy Davis, continues her long-standing commitment to healthcare philanthropy that began after her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis at age 33, which led her to establish Race to Erase MS—a charity that raised $56 million for MS research.Davis co-founded CAN with her late son Jason, who struggled with opioid addiction for 12 years. Jason passed away from COVID-19 shortly after CAN received its 503c3 status. The upcoming fundraiser coincides with the fifth anniversary of his death and will honor his dedication to advancing scientific research on Substance Use Disorder (SUD)."He was the kind of kid who wanted to always help people. Always help people. He just got such a kick. There's nobody who he wouldn't help no matter what was happening, anytime a day," Davis said.CAN has collaborated with medical experts from prestigious institutions including Mount Sinai, Harvard, Yale, UCLA, Scripps, University of Washington, UC Davis, Columbia, University of Kentucky, and The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The organization has funded 19 studies dedicated to SUD research, reflecting Davis's commitment to scientific approaches to addiction treatment.
By studying addiction as both a mental and physical illness, CAN aims to reduce the stigma surrounding SUD. Davis explained, "I think forever, everybody's really been fixated on the idea because there's not been any research of growing for AA in the 12-step program. And if that works for you, that's amazing. I commend everyone for doing that. But it's it's based on something very spiritual, and it's not based on anything scientific. I'm a scientific person, and I really believe that we use medicine and we really study things, that we can come up with a lot of cures and a lot of treatments and different ways of treating people."The organization recently awarded an Innovation Grant to fund research on Belsomra, a non-narcotic sleeping pill that may help those with insomnia related to SUD while potentially reducing drug cravings. "We're in the middle of developing a better version of that too and keeping the part that makes you sleep at the same dosage, but the part that stopped your cravings, we're gonna we're doubling that part of the medication, and it will stop you, hopefully, between 80 and 100% from craving drugs," Davis noted.The Cure Addiction Now Inaugural Fundraising Evening will feature performances by Rufus Wainwright, Siedah Garrett, Scout Willis, Luke K, Madison Love, and Colin Love. An auction will also take place to support the 10 doctors to whom CAN grants $75,000 each year.In response to recent L.A. wildfires, CAN plans to donate to a local center supporting SUD patients affected by the disaster, with a focus on youth who can no longer access treatment at their schools or community centers."People aren't paying attention about just how much the fires have affected so many people about a mental health problem or an addiction has made it 10 times worse."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Emmy Award-winning actress on mission to show family caregivers they aren't alone
Emmy Award-winning actress on mission to show family caregivers they aren't alone Award-winning actress Uzo Aduba narrates the PBS documentary "Caregiving," which premieres June 24 at 9 p.m. EST. Show Caption Hide Caption Hulu's 'The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat' tracks three best pals Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sanaa Lathan and Uzo Aduba star as a trio of best friends in the Hulu drama "The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat." Emmy Award-winning actress Uzo Aduba cared for her mom, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019, for 495 days. But for a while, Aduba never considered herself a caregiver. 'One day our mother was fine, and then one day she wasn't," Aduba told USA TODAY. "So in the middle of 'wasn't,' you're just trying to figure out how to assemble the pieces to keep life as quote-unquote 'normal' as possible.' More: The caregiving crisis is real. USA TODAY wants to hear from you about how to solve it. Aduba said she always associated the term "caregiver" with medical staff. Now, she knows there are millions of caregivers across the country with no medical training, who − like her − were thrust into caregiving roles without warning once their loved one got sick. 'I didn't realize that there was this whole framework, frankly, of loved ones who were serving in this sort of invisible labor, all across the country, day in, day out, in varying ways, as caregivers to people," she said. Now, she wants other family caregivers to know they aren't alone. Aduba, known for her roles in the television series "Orange Is the New Black" and "The Residence," narrates the PBS documentary "Caregiving," which premieres June 24 at 9 p.m. EST. The film was created with executive producer and Academy Award-nominated actor Bradley Cooper and features caregivers from across the country. 'It was the reading of the stories, of the history of it, the families, the individuals involved in caregiving, the advocates for it that drew me to it because I saw a lot of myself in the portraiture," Aduba said of the film. "I belong to the caregiving community." The need for care is universal, said Ai-jen Poo, executive director and board secretary for Caring Across Generations. She hopes having celebrities like Aduba and Cooper speak out about their caregiving experience will help people see how caregiving connects us all. More: A caregiver dad, Bradley Cooper and how a national crisis inspired an unexpected film 'It is a reminder that every single one of us is touched by the need for care,' she said. 'As I write this, my mother is dying.' Uzo Aduba shares caregiving story in memoir released last year Aduba shared some of her caregiving experience in her book, "The Road is Good," which was released in September 2024. The sweeping memoir tells her story of growing up in a Nigerian immigrant family in Massachusetts. But Aduba's life story, as she notes in the book, is also the story of her relationship with her mother. There's no way to separate the two narratives. She starts the book with: "As I write this, my mother is dying." Aduba wrote of the range of emotions that came once her mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer: fear, anxiety, frustration and grief. She wrote of the the ups and downs of those 495 days, which collided with the COVID-19 pandemic, her engagement, and wedding. She also wrote of the duller moments of care that other family caregivers can relate to. "We took naps and watched whatever we could find on TV. We ordered takeout from the fancy steakhouse in town. We waited, stared at our phones, and took turns curling up with our mother in the hospital bed," she wrote in the book. Aduba said she and her sisters took shifts in caring for their mother. Later, when her mother went into hospice, Aduba described the hospice nurse as an angel. In her culture, Aduba explained, caregiving is "the greatest show of love." Aduba's time with her mother was priceless: 'I would do it again.' Another caregiver featured in the documentary, Matthew Cauli, is outspoken on social media about how difficult it is for caregivers to access resources. "I had to quit my job to go into poverty in order to get on Medicaid so that my wife could get some treatment," Cauli, who cares for his sick wife and young son, said in a recent social media post. "I've been in poverty for five years, credit card debt for five years. And I am stuck, I'm stuck, I'm stuck." In working on the film, Aduba said she learned a lot about how massive the caregiving crisis is. When she was a caregiver for her mom, she said, she didn't realize that resources were out there at all. 'We had no knowledge that that even existed, you know?' Aduba said. More: Chronic illness can be hard on marriage. Studies show it's worse when the wife is sick. There are a lot of family caregivers out there who don't know where to get resources, or that help exists, or about the policies advocates are trying to enact to bring more relief to caregivers. Aduba said the film does a great job at shining a light on the history of caregiving and advocacy work happening now to make things better. Aduba and her sisters didn't have time to think about anything else while they were caring for their mother, Aduba told USA TODAY. When you care for someone, she said, "your needs are second" to the patient. Her own health needs took a back seat during that time, her sleep schedule turned upside down and her free time ceased to exist. 'I would do it again," she said. "But I also know that I'm speaking from a place of immense privilege and not everybody... there are other people who are carrying way more than I on their day to day while also having to navigate caregiving at the same time.' Madeline Mitchell's role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal Ventures and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Reach Madeline at memitchell@ and @maddiemitch_ on X.
WebMD
a day ago
- WebMD
Perimenopause or MS
Get me off this ride already! The hormonal fluctuations during this perimenopause stage I'm going through are driving me nuts. This is the wildest roller coaster of my life. My MS is angry. HELP PLEASE! On previous blogs, I've mentioned that multiple sclerosis and menses are declared public enemies. And sometimes, nature is a little too generous with women. We get our first period when we're little girls. Then, it goes on and on and on for decades. If that's not enough, after we reach a certain age, we enter the infamous transition period called perimenopause. And when you have MS, it hits you like a train. I'm a hot mess! Literally. If I was miserable trying to find balance and peace between my period and multiple sclerosis, now I'm at war with my own body. I feel like I hit the wall at 100 miles per hour, but I'm still alive. I can't wait for menopause! Every time I have my period, my MS symptoms amplify, which is expected. But now, not only are they amplified to the third power, but they're constant. From the entire cycle, I think I have two good days. My hypersensitivity is to the roof. The mood swings are intense. I'm depressed for the first time in my life. Like, I've been through hell and back, and never had depression before. Sometimes, I feel like I'm acting out of character, and I'm not proud of it. But what can I do? I can't control what's happening inside of me. On top of that, the fatigue – the lack of energy – hit me like a ton of bricks. Not to mention the brain fog. Ugh! I'm hot and sweaty. Gross! The temperature intolerance is off the hook. Can anybody hear the sirens? Tornado warning! What makes the perimenopause period exhausting is that it's a gradual transition. It could last several years before you get to menopause. So, while we still have our period, which is already hard enough, we have all these different symptoms lingering around, out of control and making the calls. The irony? We're expected to ride this wave with a smile on our face. Perimenopause could worsen MS symptoms and increase the progression of the disease. Sometimes, it's hard to pinpoint whether it's MS or perimenopause. Neurodegeneration shows brain volume loss and gray matter reduction in perimenopausal women with multiple sclerosis. Sleep disruption could also contribute to cognitive decline, depression, fatigue, and memory issues. No wonder I've been so dysfunctional in all areas. I've always had problems with poor sleep, but now it's worse. I'm in need of more sleep than prior to perimenopause. I'm exhausted! Like Cher said once in an interview when she was asked: 'What do you think of getting old?' And she quickly answered: 'It sucks!' I'm there with her. 'Moving forward in time,' which I prefer to say, really takes you by surprise, and makes you look back and ask, 'Where did time go?' Various symptom management strategies are suggested, like increasing physical and brain exercises, as well as the use of medications like antidepressants or contraceptives. Mommy's little helpers to the rescue! It's so hard to be a woman. I'm starting to feel sorry for the people around me, really. I haven't been the friendliest person lately. I'm so irritable that I can't even live with myself. I mean, they're no saints either, but I definitely take things out of proportion sometimes. It's like their new hobby is to push my buttons. What's hilarious is that when I went to my gynecologist and she tested my hormonal levels, she says that I'm not even close to being in menopause and that all the levels look normal. Really? Then where is this demon inside of me coming from? She also mentioned that this phase that I'm in is like being in limbo. No joke? I could even get pregnant if I wanted to. Hilarious! So, everything looks great, everything is awesome, I'm just feeling completely decompensated and there's nothing tangible to blame. In the midst of all this, I've had to apply to my own life everything that I preach. I've been doing a lot of self-care, showing grace to myself, meditating, disconnecting, walking away, breathwork, etc. This new life challenge requires that I put a lot of work into myself and my needs. I'm trying to be patient with myself and to not be so hard on myself as well. It's hard to be me nowadays. I'm a wreck! But I will survive. There is no misfortune that lasts a hundred years nor a body that can resist it. This too shall pass. I send a hug and my best wishes to all the warriors out there reading this blog that are going through the same thing. My heart goes out to you. If you need a friend, find me on my social media or join me on our Facebook group.
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Bloomberg
How Covid Can Break Blood Vessels and Clog Arteries
Hi, it's Jason in Melbourne. Covid-19 might just be the disease that keeps on giving. Before I explain ... Help us improve Bloomberg newsletters: Please take a quick survey to share your thoughts on your sign-up experience and what you'd like to see in the future.
