Donor Determined to Help Find a Cure for ALS
Kathy Garrett, former chief financial officer of LiveNation, was very goal-oriented, say her longtime friends Connie Austin, Mary Cochran and Stacey Willard. This is why they were not surprised to learn Kathy designated a bequest gift through her estate to ALS research, establishing the Kathy Garrett Research Center for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) at Mass General Brigham (MGB).
“She was a smart, stubborn woman, with a very strong faith, but she also liked to be a little devious, with a twinkle in her eye when she pulled one over on us,” says Connie.
Kathy, who died from complications of ALS on April 8, 2024, was celebrated on the one-year anniversary of her death through an event in April 2025 at the research labs within the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at MGB, where her bequest will have an extraordinary impact.
“This gift will supercharge our progress to understand, treat, repair and prevent ALS across Mass General Brigham and around the world.”
Accelerating Vital Research
“This gift will supercharge our progress to understand, treat, repair and prevent ALS across Mass General Brigham and around the world.”Mark Albers, MD, PhD, displaying a brain within the labs at the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS.
Kathy was very particular about organization and was always checking items off her list. “Once she accepted her diagnosis, she felt that her purpose in life was to help find a cure for ALS,” says Mary. “This gift was the last thing on her list.”
Mark Albers, MD, PhD, displaying a brain within the labs at the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS.
Diagnosed with ALS in 2020, Kathy’s experience of living with the disease was extremely difficult, especially for someone who had been so independent, say her friends.
“During the last four years of her life, she could not do things for herself,” Mary says. “She figured out how to get through it with sheer determination, and always stayed so positive.”
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, controlling voluntary movements such as walking, talking, eating and breathing. While there are treatments that slow disease progression slightly and manage symptoms, there is currently no cure.