metro Running For A Cause Aiding The Elderly Doctor trains for NYC marathon to raise funds for ALS research. Jewish Senior Life brunch to fete its first lifetime achievement recipient. Lynne Meredith Golodner Special to the Jewish News giving to others, says his daughter, Dana Perlman, treasurer and head of business development and inves- n Nov. 18, Jewish Senior tor relations for a public company in Life will present its first New York. Both she and her brother Lifetime Achievement Award are carrying on their father's legacy to Michael Perlman, a by being involved in lifelong supporter of Jewish senior housing the Jewish community endeavors where they and essential partner live. in the development of "One of the things we Detroit's residences remember most about and services for older what our father did adults. and his involvement "Fewer people have when he was president had as great of an of Jewish Federation impact in the commu- Apartments was going nity as my father," says there and spending Jeffrey Perlman, a real time with the elderly," estate investor living in says Dana. "Being Hong Kong. "He was involved as a little kid Michael Per [man one of the pioneers in and seeing how impor- setting the foundation tant it is to be involved for what has become Jewish Senior in the community, that's been impor- Life." tant as we've grown up." Michael Perlman, 65, of Southfield Rochelle Upfal, CEO, says, "Jewish was instrumental in helping secure Senior Life is privileged to present its township certificates for build- first Lifetime Achievement Award to ings that would become the West Michael Perlman. His legacy of lead- Bloomfield campus of Jewish Senior ership in providing our community's Life. A distinguished real estate older adults with quality housing is attorney for more than four decades, exemplary. His work provided keen Perlman was named among the legal counsel and affordable, secure Best Lawyers in America and was and heimishe (warm) homes to more a pioneer in affordable housing. He than a quarter of a million older also was a member of the Michigan adults." Housing Council. Carol Rosenberg, JSL Foundation Additionally, Perlman was a past director, says, "Michael Perlman president of Jewish Apartments & was a true historian for Jewish Services, the initial chairman of the Apartments & Services and Jewish Commission on Jewish Elder Care Home & Aging Services that eventu- Services and vice president of the ally came together to become Jewish United Jewish Foundation. He played Senior Life. He was an expert on a leading role in the financing and knowing where we came from and development of several older adult where we were headed. His ability to communities, and acted as chairman keep our vision focused on the needs of the building committees and legal of older adults has been so helpful counsel for these developments. and influential for the board of direc- Retired now, Perlman is an honor- tors on which he served and for my ary lifetime member of the board of own vision as a healthcare profes- governors of the Jewish Federation of sional." Metropolitan Detroit and a member Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., says, of its Real Estate Committee. "The Detroit Jewish community has thrived because members of the corn- Legacy Of Giving munity like Michael Perlman have Perlman also epitomizes the values given so much of themselves for the of contributing to community and common good." ❑ 0 Dr. Adam Rubin of Ann Arbor trains for his first New York City Marathon. Ann Arbor D r. Adam D. Rubin has seen the destructive effects of ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, both in a friend and in his patients. So it makes sense that the 44-year-old laryngologist would blend his love of running with his desire to find a cure for this devastating disease. That is why he will run his first New York City Marathon on Nov. 4 to raise funds for ALS research. Donations will go to the Program for Neurology Research & Discovery (PNRD) at the University of Michigan Health System, a laboratory directed by Dr. Eva Feldman that Rubin has been affiliated with for years. So far, Rubin and his teammates have raised nearly $9,000, far surpassing his initial expectations when he started training in August for the grueling 26.2 mile race. Now, the determined doc- tor has set his eyes on raising $15,000 through CrowdRise, an online fundrais- ing site. "It started off as a challenge for me, but I also thought it was a great oppor- tunity to do a fundraiser as well," Rubin said. "When I first started this, I didn't know what to expect. In a lot of ways, now I'm more passionate about the fun- draising than the running." This run — along with his work with U-M — are dedicated to his own patients and to the memory of a family friend, Dr. Eric Baron, who recently lost his battle with ALS. "He was a brilliant physician, entre- preneur and father," Rubin said, "who 28 November 1 • 2012 battled the disease for eight years, mak- ing every effort to stay alive as long as possible to watch his infant daughter grow. He remained positive and deter- mined, and he remains an inspiration to me and my family." Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a disease of the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement. It causes the death of these motor neurons within the brainstem and spinal cord, Rubin explained, and is a progressive disease that usually leads to death within five years of diagnosis. As neurons die, patients lose the abil- ity to voluntarily move body parts, and eventually, to breathe. When the brain- stem is involved, patients lose the abil- ity to speak and swallow. All the while, patients suffering from this disorder stay completely aware of their bodies deterio- rating. Although there currently is no effec- tive treatment for ALS, Feldman is leading the first FDA-approved human clinical trial of a stem cell treatment for ALS, which is taking place at Emory University in Atlanta. Contributions to Rubin's run will go toward improving the procedure and expanding the clinical trial. As director of the Lakeshore Professional Voice Center PC in St. Clair Shores, the Huntington Woods native said he sees three to five patients a year who come to him believing they have voice problems, only for Rubin to find they have early indicators of ALS. For more information or to donate to Rubin's cause, go to http://bit.ly/ PvPHN4. ❑ A brunch in honor of Michael Perlman will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 18, at Tam-0-Shanter Country Club in West Bloomfield. Proceeds benefit the Michael & Diane "Dee-Dee" Perlman Transportation Fund for Older Jewish Adults. RSVP by Nov.12: (248) 592-5026 or btryon@jslmi.org .