Vale Vicki Modell
Emily Edwards
Dear Vicki, you will be missed. The JMF Centre Melbourne would like to acknowledge and pay our respects to Vicki Modell, co-founder of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF). Alongside, her husband Fred, Vicki co-founded JMF in the memory of their late son Jeffrey who pled with his parents ‘to do something’ about primary immunodeficiencies.
Vicki was a staunch advocate for patients with primary immunodeficiency and their carers globally. By sharing their story, the Modell’s channelled their grief into building JMF, raising millions and constructing the global JMF centres network to support the community of patients who live with primary immunodeficiency.
Vicki would often be seen at international meetings including the biennial ESID conference, and provided personal touches to the JMF’s operations, including personal emails to their centres acknowledging their contribution to improving the lives of primary immunodeficient patients. The JMF centre Melbourne was humbled to have received one of these letters earlier this year.
We at JMF Melbourne feel privileged to be part of this global network and will strive to continue the unparalleled work that Vicki and Fred started, and send our condolences to Vicki’s family, friends and the whole JMF family who are mourning her loss at this time.
