Corin Chapman is putting her degree to work in a way that hits closer to home than most careers: She’s trying to save the life of her son.
In 2014, Chapman’s son, Max, then 14 months old, was diagnosed with Peroxisomal Biogenesis Disorder, a rare disease with fewer than 100 known cases in the U.S. The disorder can lead to loss of vision and hearing, as well potentially life-threatening damage to the liver, kidney, and bones.
At first, Chapman (BS, ’04, actuarial science) and her family didn't know where to turn for knowledge or support. Then another mother whose child has the disease in Peoria, Illinois, told them of about the Global Foundation for Peroxisomal Disorders (GFPD).
Chapman and her husband, Todd (BA, ’03, political science), traveled six hours from their Bloomington, Illinois, home to attend a family conference for GFPD in Omaha, Nebraska. There, they found the support their family was seeking.
“We finally felt like we had found other people that were in a similar situation, while it had felt so lonely before,” Chapman said. “So we instantly wanted to be a part of it.”
Chapman accepted the GFPD president’s offer to serve as treasurer. Although she had never been a treasurer, Chapman’s skills in numerical analysis and risk assessment (she is a life insurance actuary with State Farm) gave her necessary experience to make tough research funding decisions for GFPD.
Chapman hopes her decisions can lead to positive outcomes for children affected with the disease. PBD research is advancing, but there is still much to learn.
In addition to her role with GFPD, Chapman, her husband, and her father-in-law, Alan Chapman (BA, ’69, teaching of social studies) organized a Tee It Up! for the GFPD charity golf event in 2016 that raised more than $100,000 for disease research. She said only about 100 people were expected to attend, but more than 400 showed up.
“They weren’t there because it’s affecting some relative or friend of theirs. Really the only person that it’s affecting is our child, so to have that support for our child, and obviously all the other children that are affected by the disorder” is “overwhelming and uplifting,” said Chapman. “It’s those moments that keep you going.”
Chapman’s family plans another golf charity event for PBD research on May 18-19, 2017. For more information, please visit www.teeitup4gfpd.com.
*Editor's note: This story originally appeared in LAS News magazine (Spring 2017).
