Dr. Terre A. Constantine, Executive Director and CEO of the Brain Research Foundation, second from left, with the three Shapiro siblings, Jonathan, Lauren Mandel and Joey.
By Megan McKinney
It has been 18 years since a 42-year-old Highland Park mother was mentally and physically impaired by a rare brain aneurysm, leaving her grade school children, Joe Shapiro, Jonathan Shapiro and Lauren Shapiro Mandel, in a “world turned upside down.”
Today the three siblings have launched an initiative to address the effects of brain injuries with the help of Brain Research Foundation. The official sendoff was Let’s Put Our Heads Together, a cocktail reception on the IO Urban Roofscape at The Godfrey Hotel.
“We envision two components to this initiative,” says Lauren Mandel, “the first is to build a community to support families that also have to manage this very difficult path, just like we did for years. The second component is to increase the funding for neurological research through BRF, which is immensely important.”
Jordan Mandel, Rachel Bacalar, Steve Bacalar, Matt Jamieson, Alexi Vahlkamp and Sam Marder.
Madeline Brown, Spencer Turkin, Sarah Jano and Matt Miotti.
Melissa Wright, Brittany Lane and Corey Nianick.
Alex and Chris Lawless, David Klapman and Lindsay Saffrin.
The roof of the Godfrey Hotel Chicago.
Photo Credit:
Robert F. Carl
