Jack Mcgovern Coats Disease Foundation

Results: Jack McGovern Coats’ Disease Foundation funds research to find a cure for Coats’ Disease and pediatric retinal disorders. The Foundation is the preeminent resource for Coats’ Disease patients and their families. We serve as a hub for the Coats’ Disease community who seek information about specialists who treat this rare disease and updates on the latest research in this disorder. The Jack McGovern Coats’ Disease Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable Foundation that was established in 2006 by the parents of Jack McGovern as a promise to their son that they would never rest until there was a cure for Coats’ Disease. At the age of ten, Jack McGovern discovered that he could no longer see the big E on the eye chart. Jack was seen by knowledgeable retina specialists and was diagnosed with Coats’ Disease, a rare disease that can cause blindness. This disorder causes leaking of the blood vessels behind the retina and has been diagnosed in children as young as four months old. It afflicts boys more often than girls but has also been diagnosed in adults. For Jack, treatments for this rare eye disorder included four surgeries on his eye. The surgeries stopped the blood vessels from leaking but left Jack with a blind spot in the center of his left eye’s visual field. Jack is now an adult who despite his vision loss is looking forward to a bright future. He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross where he earned numerous awards as a student-athlete, playing all four years of college lacrosse at the Division 1 level. While a student, he was featured on CBS Sports. More recently, Jack was featured in an article in US Lacrosse Magazine. As with all Coats’ Disease patients, Jack will need to monitor the progression of his disease for his entire lifetime. Jack was fortunate to be quickly diagnosed by physicians and specialists who had the knowledge and skills to provide treatment in his hometown. Because Coats’ Disease is a rarely seen orphan disease, many doctors are not familiar with this disease nor how to treat it. Due to lack of awareness of this rare disorder, many children have their affected eyes removed when doctors misdiagnose Coats’ Disease as cancer, which it is not. To help Jack and other Coats’ children and their families, the Jack McGovern Coats’ Disease Foundation was established by Ed and Tina McGovern to raise awareness of Coats’ Disease and to raise funds to encourage and support research to find a cure for Coats’ Disease. Since the Foundation was formed, we have become the preeminent source for information and resources to help educate and support families in their fight against Coats’ Disease. Our website provides a Directory of Retina Specialists who are knowledgeable of Coats’ Disease and treatment options. The site also links patients and their families to a community of other Coats’ Disease patients. We are the only organization that is totally focused on finding a cure for Coats’ Disease.