Family and Friends Honor Remarkable
Young Woman by Supporting MS Research

According to her mother Susan, even as a young child Erica Zwickel always wanted to help others.

In that same spirit, in a room filled with love and emotion, Chairman Susan Zwickel, representatives from the Erica Zwickel Foundation of Pine Brook, NJ, and Erica’s family presented a check for $5,000 to Erica’s doctor, Stephen Kamin, MD, acting chair of the Department of Neurology at New Jersey Medical School, so that he could continue his research into new treatments for patients with multiple sclerosis.

Erica Zwickel was diagnosed with MS when she was 28 years old. She died a short three years later during a routine surgery unrelated to the disease. The life she led in the years following her diagnosis was remarkable, according to those who knew and loved her.

“Erica devoted her life to making sure everyone around her was happy,” said Alan Zwickel, Erica’s older brother and the president of the Erica Zwickel Foundation. “She refused to let the diagnosis of MS slow her down. She had endless energy and a terrific attitude.”

According to Mrs. Zwickel, MS inspired Erica to fight, to go back to school, to immerse herself in a music career in which she promoted the legendary New Jersey based cover band Dog Voices and to become very involved in fundraising for MS research.

Erica’s family and friends established the Erica Zwickel Foundation in 2003 to honor her memory and continue her efforts to support MS research and to contribute to students pursuing an education in the arts. A major aspect of its fundraising efforts is raising money to help Dr. Kamin find a cure for this debilitating disease.

Reflecting on the day of the presentation, Richard Zwickel, Erica’s brother and a member of the foundation’s board of directors, said, “It means a lot for us to honor Erica, a person who gave so much to others, a person we all loved. It would have meant the world to her to know that we are continuing her efforts to help find a cure that will someday help so many others. This is a very emotional day for us.”