Earlier in July, guests gathered in the backyard of the Julie Keyes Gallery in Sag Harbor for Summer Bloom, an evening where art, conversation, and philanthropy came together in support of endometriosis research. Together, they raised nearly $45,000 for endometriosis research, advocacy, and patient education, with additional gifts committed in the days since. The event was hosted by Alexis Roderick Joel, our Chair of Advocacy, whose own endometriosis journey has shaped her dedicated advocacy work.
What made the evening remarkable was the community gathered in the backyard of Julie’s gallery. Researchers and clinicians mingled with patients, collectors, artists, and members of the Sag Harbor community—people who might not have known about endometriosis, patients who have the disease, and the scientists who work hard to make meaningful progress in finding a cure. In a toast, EndoFound co-founder and excision specialist Dr. Tamer Seckin named the stakes plainly: endometriosis is a public health crisis that demands attention and funding. When we talk about endometriosis, when we name the disease, when we introduce someone who may never have heard of it, we make a critical difference.
Evenings like Summer Bloom matter because endometriosis has never received the investment its scale demands. The disease affects roughly one in ten people assigned female at birth, yet patients still wait years—often close to a decade—for a diagnosis, and the research dollars devoted to understanding it remain a fraction of what comparable conditions receive. This gap is not abstract. It shows up in the exam room, when a patient is told their pain is normal. It shows up in the years of missed school, missed extracurriculars, and missed work. Closing this gap takes sustained philanthropic support, and much of that support begins in rooms like this one. As the nation’s leading nonprofit, we’re honored to steward such generous support—and to put it toward the day when patients no longer spend years searching for answers to explain their pain.
The funds raised at Summer Bloom go directly to the work that will make a difference for patients today and in the years to come: research that can shorten the road to diagnosis, education that helps young people recognize their symptoms early, and advocacy that carries their experiences into the rooms where health policy is written. Most importantly, a night like this achieves what a grant application never can; it introduces the disease to people who might never have heard it described in detail before, and it turns a condition long carried privately into a cause with new champions behind it.
Our thanks to Alexis, to Julie, and to everyone who came out and gave so generously. The support and awareness generated at Summer Bloom fuel the research, education, and advocacy that bring us closer to better diagnosis, treatment, and care for millions of patients. One event can make such a difference—whether through donations that fund critical research or a single conversation that reaches someone who doesn't yet know about endometriosis. It's also a meaningful way to honor yourself or a loved one living with this disease. That's why we make it easy to host a fundraiser of your own: whatever the occasion, we're here to help you every step of the way.
