We were thrilled to recognize two “See The Light” honorees for their dedication to the mission: Florida State Representative Adam Anderson and Jayne Gershkowitz, a transformative patient advocacy leader for NTSAD and Amicus Therapeutics.

Rep. Anderson’s work and passion, especially championing the Sunshine Genetics Act, is inspired by the loss of his third child, Andrew, to Tay Sachs Disease. Adam received his honor amidst a Florida Legislative session, reaffirming his relentlessness in positioning Florida as a leader in pediatric rare diseases.

"While we call these diseases rare, when we look at them collectively, they're actually quite common."

-Florida State Representative Adam Anderson

Jayne's leadership in the patient advocacy space is legendary, with countless industry peers and families referring to her as a "North Star." Jayne's insights and vision for the future of pharmaceutical development and patient advocacy were shared in a fascinating fireside chat with MFRF President Kevin Romer.

Laughter

No "Sweetness & Laughter" Celebration would be complete without top-notch entertainment. A piano performance added beautiful music to the cocktail hour.

While raffles are always a popular part of the program, this year's event featured a surprise twist: a live auction for the Ultimate South Florida Sports Experience. Guests watched in awe as the top sports fans dueled for the right to prime seating for Bam Adebayo's next 83-point game, dominance by the reigning Stanley Cup champions, and the emergence of the "Miami Packers."

The evening concluded with a mesmerizing mentalist performance by mindset expert Ricky Kalmon. Kalmon's world-class act highlighted the power of the mind to create special connections with people. The show culiminated with groups of volunteers being hypnotized into believing that napkins were $100 bills, they had exotic pets, and a dress shoe was Simba from the Lion King.