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Andreas Kahan Memorial

A personal campaign sponsored by Susan Kahan

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My son, Andreas Kahan, graduated from the University of Michigan, lived in Barcelona for a year with friends, and came home only to begin to develop schizophrenia.  He had no desire to job search, his behavior was bizarre, and he was becoming increasingly belligerent and destructive.  As a result, Dre was hospitalized and diagnosed at Mt. Sinai in NY.   It was the first time I watched the hospital aide lock the corridor door behind Dre and it made me physically ill.

Since that time Dre has been fighting off his demons and the many voices he constantly hears.  They have been so distracting to him that he has not been able to work.  He has not been able to read.  He has rejected any overtures by friends who have attempted to communicate with him.  Dre has created a solitary world, riding the bus in search of 99cent stores to purchase a hidden gem for his supervised apartment.

Apparently, after 19 years, Dre couldn’t stand to listen to the voices any longer, not for another second.  What’s ironic is that although Dre died friendless in a tragic manner, he actually had loads of friends who loved him.  They flew in from all over the country for his funeral service and then filled my house with love the way air fills a balloon. 

We need to find a way to help those who suffer from mental illness, and we all seem to be touched by it within our families, or to know someone affected by it.    Donating to the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation  is one  way to help.   Andreas had so much potential.  He wanted to make a difference in the world.  Let’s help him to make that difference by generously contributing to this worthwhile research-based foundation.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

  • Since 1987, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation has awarded more than $365 million to fund more than 5,000 grants to more than 4,000 scientists around the world.
  • The mission of the Foundation is to alleviate the suffering caused by mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research.
  • 100% of donations for research are invested directly into research grants thanks to the generosity of two family foundations that underwrite operational expenses at the Foundation.
  • The funding model of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation encourages new and innovative research in that we are able to support new ideas from bottom up generated by scientists.
  • The Foundation only funds scientists whose research is reviewed and recommended by a world-renowned Scientific Council including Nobel Prize winners and chairs of psychiatric departments.
  • Learn more about the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.

 

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