Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation Initiates Familial Brain Aneurysm Study
State of Florida Awards $500,000 to Baptist Health of Northeast Florida
Fernandina Beach, FL – The Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation continues to advance its mission to support and fund neurological research for brain aneurysms. Over the past two years, the organization has been instrumental in securing funding from the state of Florida for a research study to determine to what extent a family’s history of brain aneurysms plays in the likelihood of occurrence in later generations, as well as any potential genetic markers.
In September 2021, Baptist Health, under the leadership of Ricardo A. Hanel, MD, PhD, neurosurgeon and co-medical director of the Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center, received $250,000, the first of two grants to assess the hereditary possibility of brain aneurysms. Baptist Health, working closely with Florida state legislators Sen. Aaron Bean, Rep. Wyman Duggan and Rep. Clay Yarborough, and the Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation, advocated for the importance of the study. In April 2022, the state announced an additional $500,000 grant, allowing the hospital to recruit additional study participants.
“Awareness is the first step toward a cure,” said Dr. Hanel. “We are extremely grateful for Sen. Bean, Representatives Duggan and Yarborough and the entire Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation team for their efforts in advocating and securing funding for this impactful study.”
Based in Fernandina Beach, the Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation was established in 2016 by Olivia and Phil Hoblit in memory of their daughter, Trinity. She passed away in 2015 at the age of 14 from multiple brain aneurysms. The nonprofit is dedicated to raising awareness about the signs and symptoms of brain aneurysms and provides funding for neurological research for brain aneurysms.
“I fondly recall Trinity as a young child playing mini golf and am honored to help advance the organization’s mission,” said Sen. Bean. “The foundation is doing great work and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Olivia, Phil and Baptist Health during the legislative session to help secure funding from the state for this important research study that aims to save lives.”
Additional funding for the research study will come from the Luna Fine Art Gallery located in the Courtyard & Springhill Suites by Marriott Amelia Island. The gallery is part of The Hive, a social responsibility program of Innisfree Hotels and hosts four exhibits each year featuring local artists. Artwork is available in person or online and all gallery commissions are donated to the Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation. The next exhibit will open July 29, 2022.
“On June 30, 2022, we marked the sixth anniversary of the founding of the Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation,” said Olivia Hoblit, president and founder. “With the state funding, the recruitment of study participants is now underway and Baptist Health has already enrolled more than 160 subjects and first-degree family members in the study. If you or an immediate family member – mother, father, sibling – has been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, you may be a good candidate for this study.”
To learn more about the study, call (904) 388-6518, ext. 58762.
About the Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation
The Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation, founded in 2016, is a nonprofit organization located in Fernandina Beach, Florida. dedicated to raising awareness about the signs and symptoms of brain aneurysms. The organization also provides support and funding for neurological research for brain aneurysms with the goal of advancing treatment options and reducing the time between treatment and signs/symptoms to ensure better outcomes for those suffering a brain aneurysm. To learn more about brain aneurysms, the Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation and to donate, visit www.TrinityHoblit.org. A portion of gifts through 2023 will be matched by the Baptist Health Foundation in Jacksonville, Florida.
