Why Danny Ferry has remained in Atlanta

[Guest]

Danny Ferry hasn’t talked publicly about the diagnosis that has affected his family.

Until now.

One of his daughters has a vascular anomaly that requires attention from eight different specialists. The family has made many trips to Boston Children’s Hospital so Sophia could undergo extensive procedures and surgeries to deal with her condition.

They, and many others so affected, no longer will have to travel such a great distance for needed care.

On May 9, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) and Emory will open a Vascular Anomaly Clinic (VAC). It will be modeled after the clinic in Boston. Ferry and his wife, Tiffany, played a part in bringing such a facility to the Southeast and plan to fund much-needed research associated with the clinic. Their foundation formed six years ago, the Lymphatic Malformation Institute, will host and fund a conference June 10-11 to bring physicians from around the world to Atlanta to further explore diagnostics and care.

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[TheNorthCydeRises]

Thoughts and prayers to his daughter and the Ferry family.  That must be grueling.

[ATLHawks3]

Hoping for a speedy recovery for Ferry's daughter. Unfortunate, no parent should have to go through that.

[lethalweapon3]

Best wishes to Sophia and the Ferries!

And thank you, Danny Ferry, for staying True to the Dirty South.

Quote

On May 9, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) and Emory will open a Vascular Anomaly Clinic (VAC). It will be modeled after the clinic in Boston. Ferry and his wife, Tiffany, played a part in bringing such a facility to the Southeast and plan to fund much-needed research associated with the clinic. Their foundation formed six years ago, the Lymphatic Malformation Institute, will host and fund a conference June 10-11 to bring physicians from around the world to Atlanta to further explore diagnostics and care.

“Despite Sophia’s diagnosis and numerous procedures, surgeries and hospital time, she has been lucky because her health has been relatively stable, and our family has the resources to travel to care as needed. We have been lobbying CHOA and Emory to open a VAC because there was a great need in the Southeast. It’s difficult but so important to get coordinated care as it puts care in the best position to succeed and the family in a better position to make challenging decisions.”

Vascular anomalies are a wide-ranging number of conditions that can affect many different parts of the body. That is why one patient may have to see many different specialists for their diagnosis. There are four main cities with hospitals in the United States that care for such conditions — Boston, Cincinnati, Seattle and Milwaukee. And soon Atlanta.

(snip)

Ferry has the financial resources to care for his daughter. When he joined the Hawks as general manager in 2012 he even had clauses in his contract concerning her care. Others are not so fortunate.

“Despite my diagnosis, I have been very fortunate,” said Sophia, a 16-year-old who plays tennis and swims. “I am one of the healthier patients, and I have been able to travel for treatment. Having a VAC in this region will give many other people an opportunity for much better and easier health care because it will be at CHOA under one roof. This VAC will mean so much to families who can’t travel so far to find experts in their disease. This VAC opening here means a lot to me and many other patients.”

The conference [here] in June will provide an opportunity for physicians to gather and discuss a little-known subset of vascular anomalies, specifically diagnostic criteria for Gorham-Stout Disease (GSD) and Generalized Lymphatic Anomaly (GLA).

“With the help of Danny and (wife) Tiffany, we are very well positioned to run a really successful clinic for the kids in the Southeast,” [future Atlanta VAC director, Dr. Matt] Hawkins said. “I think it’s going to be much bigger than any of us realize. I treat a lot of vascular anomalies as an interventional radiologist. Our role in the treatment of vascular anomalies has expanded exponentially in the last 10 years. What I’ve observed since I moved to the Southeast is there is just an incredible need for this down here, and there were families that were trying to find ways to fly up to Boston.

“It puts the onus on the parent to coordinate all that care when you are going to see multiple doctors and getting procedures at multiple facilities; a surgery here, an appointment there. You can imagine how challenging that is. We are trying to be very patient-centered with this.”

Ferry continues to stay involved in basketball while he and his family work to support the new VAC in Atlanta...

((snip))

“Along with working with my wife, Tiffany, on the June conference in Atlanta, it’s been a really productive year,” Ferry said. “I have stayed busy with family, visiting different friends and teams, both NBA and college, and watching a lot of games to stay connected to the game. Luol and I continue to stay in contact. We had dinner a few weeks ago, and we still have a project to do together.

“Again, so many people have been and continue to be really good to me, and I am appreciative. I am looking at different opportunities in the NBA, have had some very positive conversations, but the next move I make will definitely be what is best for my family as well.”

Whether another job in basketball comes his way, Ferry continues to work on the project that is so near and so dear to the hearts of him and his family.

 

~lw3

[BigDog90]

I'm surprised he mentioned Deng. 

[BrazilianHawk]

All the best to Ferry and his family! I wish her a speedy recovery.

[AHF]

Definitely in our thoughts and prayers here.