Marlins for Mason is a marlin release tournament held in Ocean City, Maryland, to support the Dravet Syndrome Foundation (DSF).

OCEAN CITY, MD, UNITED STATES, August 21, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Marlins for Mason is a marlin release tournament held in Ocean City, Maryland, to support the Dravet Syndrome Foundation (DSF). This annual event honors Mason Prather, a cherished 6-year-old member of the Ocean City fishing community who lives with Dravet syndrome.

Marlins for Mason Billfish Release Tournament is a four-day event hosted each August and consists of two fishing days, a cocktail party and an awards brunch. All money raised by the event is donated directly to the Dravet Syndrome Foundation and put towards Dravet syndrome research.

Amanda Prather, Mason’s mom and founder of Marlins for Mason, said “we are truly humbled by the overwhelming support we have received from our community over the last two years since starting Marlins for Mason. This year we had over 500 participants, 130 sponsors, and hundreds of donors. Everyone in Ocean City now knows what Dravet syndrome is. I feel that with awareness will come change and we are grateful for the amount of awareness this event has brought to our community and up and down the East coast. We are honored to support the Dravet Syndrome Foundation and hope that our efforts can help change the future of Dravet syndrome.”

Dravet syndrome is an intractable developmental and epileptic encephalopathy that begins in infancy and proceeds with accumulating morbidity that significantly impacts individuals throughout their lifetime. Dravet syndrome is a rare disease, with an estimated incidence rate of 1:15,700, with the majority of patients carrying a mutation in the sodium channel gene SCN1A. Patients face a 15-20% mortality rate due to SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy), prolonged seizures, seizure-related accidents such as drowning, and infections.

Mary Anne Meskis, Executive Director of DSF, expressed heartfelt gratitude, saying, “We are truly thankful for the overwhelming support from the Prather Family and the Ocean City community. Events like these enable us to fund pioneering research on Dravet syndrome, enhancing our understanding of the disease and advancing our efforts to discover more effective treatments.”

About DSF: Dravet Syndrome Foundation (DSF) is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to aggressively raise funds for Dravet syndrome and related epilepsies; to support and fund research; increase awareness; and to provide support to affected individuals and families. Since its inception in 2009, DSF has awarded over $9.1M in research grant awards and over $240K in patient assistance. For more information on Dravet syndrome or DSF, visit dravetfoundation.org.

About Marlins for Mason Foundation: Launched in 2023, Marlins for Mason has raised over $815,000 in the past two years to support DSF's research program. In 2023 Marlins for Mason funded a research project through the Dravet Syndrome Foundation, “Therapeutic benefit of MGE progenitor cell transplantation in a rabbit model of Dravet syndrome”. This disease modifying cell transplant type therapy has never been done in Dravet Syndrome before. Marlins for Mason is passionate about funding research and will be funding another research project this year. Learn more at marlinsformason.com

Mary Anne Meskis
Dravet Syndrome Foundation
+1 203-392-1955
email us here
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