Israel endured so much in his short life. But even in the hardest moments, he brought so much light. One of my favorite memories from his transplant journey was how he never went by his real name. The first doctor we saw when he was admitted asked him his name, and Israel replied, “Batman.” From then on, he cycled through names from his favorite movies: Randall, Pascal, and eventually Lewis.

My lab’s vision for the next five years is to apply what we have learned to develop molecules that can alter FA protein behavior. These could be used to treat cancer or alter gene editing outcomes.