Mrs. Sontag was hospitalized at the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center when she died from complications of rheumatoid arthritis in 1993. The treatments she received for RA from the late 1950's to the 1990's often had more negative side effects than positive effects for pain relief. Some of the RA therapies caused skin ulcerations. The disease spread beyond the joints to other organs. Gradually, Mrs. Sontag became more and more debilitated, suffering acute weight loss and spinal column degeneration.

Watching Mrs. Sontag's decline took its toll on her family, too. As a result, her son, Rick Sontag, his wife, Susan Thomas Sontag, and their children decided to establish the Sontag Foundation to support arthritis research. Rick and Susan are Long Beach natives, alumni of Woodrow Wilson High School. Mrs. Sontag's husband, Dave, still resides in Long Beach.

Having no scientific expertise, the family began to search for a way to support RA research. While searching the Internet for organizations supporting rheumatoid arthritis research, daughter Cindy Sontag found the Long Beach-based Arthritis National Research Foundation.

Founded in 1952, the Arthritis National Research Foundation awards grants to post-doctoral investigators who are affiliated with established laboratories and universities. These young scientists bring a fresh approach, great enthusiasm and all of the necessary skills for identifying arthritic disease pathways and developing new treatments at the molecular level. Understanding the disease mechanism opens the door for developing more effective treatments.

ANRF has a Scientific Advisory Board comprised of world-renowned scientists, including three past presidents of the American College of Rheumatology. Each year, the Scientific Advisory Board reviews each grant proposal and provides a priority ranking list to advise the ANRF Board of Directors in making its decisions.

The Sontag family was impressed with the prestige of the Scientific Board and the commitment of the ANRF Board of Directors to funding this critical research. They completed extensive research of the ANRF's activities and mission, as well as examining the audited financial statements. The family then reviewed the actual grants recommended for funding to determine if any of the research projects matched their particular interest in rheumatoid arthritis research.

Last year, the family chose to fund a special fellowship awarded to Mireille Delhase, Ph.D. of the University of California, San Diego. As the recipient of the Sontag Foundation Fellowship of the ANRF, Dr. Delhase not only received $45,000, but also the honor of knowing that the Sontag family has taken a personal interest in her work and career.

This year, ANRF received a record number of grant applications. The number has more than doubled from 28 applications last year to 69 this year. Last year, ANRF awarded eight research grants totaling $353,000. We expect to fund ten research grants totaling $500,000 for the coming year. The Sontag family will review this year's top grant recipients to provide their support of RA research again.

ANRF's ultimate goal is to find a cure for each of the 100 different forms of arthritis. Wouldn't it be nice if school children in the year 2020 have to ask, "What is arthritis?" like they do about smallpox and other diseases which have been virtually eliminated in the U.S.

I watched my little cousin go from an energetic four-year old who could shimmy up the monkey bars on the playground to a sad little girl who could not get out of bed without help when she was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at age seven. Having the opportunity to help science progress towards a cure is a personal gift. Each new discovery by one of the scientists supported by ANRF brings us one step closer to making these diseases a thing of the past. The generosity and commitment of individuals, such as the Sontag family, allows this life-changing research to continue.

Helene Belisle
Executive Director
Arthritis National Research Foundation

(Article reprinted from the Long Beach Press-Telegram, 4-18-2002)