December 16th 2011

Watch The First-Ever C. diff Public Service Announcement!

We are excited to share “FIGHT C. DIFF”, The Peggy Lillis Memorial Foundation’s public service announcement. LIke the foundation itself, the PSA has been a labor of love for everyone involved. We are deeply grateful to our producer, Richard Davis, who made the PSA and two other fabulous videos. We are also indebted to the people and families who shared their stories for the PSA’s accompanying educational video, including The Mulligan Family, Shannon Smith, Joan Hardin, and our mother’s siblings, Helen Beigel and Thomas Daly, and her dear friend, Maryann Bassi, for helping us tell Mom’s story.

We benefited greatly from the experts who so generously shared their times and insights, including: Dr. Denice Hilty, Tammy Kohlschmidt, RDH, Dr. Brian Koll, Dr. Betsy McCaughey, Dr. Moshe Rubin and Dr. Reid Winick. We also want to thank the C. diff survivors and families of those we lost for sharing pictures to help us show the breadth of this epidemic, including Evi Adams, Jennifer Lucas (Andi’s Mom), Michael McKenna, Chris and Victoria O’Neal , and Nancy Sullivan.

We are currently reviewing proposals from distributors to get the PSA on television in early 2012. Meanwhile, please take a few minutes to watch the PSA and our new education video. Then help us raise awareness by sharing it with friends and family, posting it on Facebook, Tweeting it, and “liking” and commenting on its YouTube page.

“FIGHT C. DIFF” Public Service Annoucement

Click below to share on Facebook and Twitter!

Thanks to all the our donors and supporters who made the PSA possible!

Back to top

Our Second Annual Gala Was A Huge Success!

On Saturday, October 22, the foundation held its second fundraiser, FIGHT C. DIFF, at Aviator Sports & Recreation in Brooklyn, NY. The event was an enormous success with more than 200 guests and raising more than $38,000. In addition to premiering our PSA, the evening honored Dr. Sherwood L. Gorbach, the Chief Scientific Officer of Optimer Pharmaceuticals, which brought the first new C. diff drug in 25 years to market earlier this year. Dr. Gorbach is also Distinguished Professor of Public Health and Medcine at Tufts University Medical School, and was part of the scientific team that first identified C. diff as the cause of what was then called “antibiotic associate diarrhea” in the 1970s. 

Co-founders Christian and Liam present award to Dr. Gorbach

We will be sharing videos from the evening after the holiday. Meanwhile, check out pictures from the evening on Facebook.

We are grateful to the evening’s Presenting Sponsor Optimer Pharmaceuticals and all the people and businesses who gave so freely of their time and financial resources to make the event such a success!

Back to top

Chris & Victoria O’Neal Turn C. diff Battle Into Hope

Chris O’Neal, co-author of “Clostridium Difficile: A Patient’s Guide” shares his and his wife’s story of fighting C. diff and how they turned their suffering into hope for others fighting this dangerous infection.

Read Their Full Story!

Back to top