Dan Gilbert wears many hats: NBA owner, entrepreneur, Detroit booster and Dad.  While building Rocket Companies – the $30 billion mortgage giant – and investing billions in the Motor City’s 21st century development, he was a rare disease parent. Gilbert’s oldest child, Nick, died in 2023 following a lifelong battle with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disease that causes tumors to grow on nerve pathways anywhere in the body.  The most common type, NF1, affects approximately 1 in 2,500 births. Half of those patients develop learning and physical challenges. 

Nick had a following among basketball fans. He represented the Cleveland Cavaliers at multiple NBA draft lotteries and proved something of a good luck charm for the team and the city.  Since his death, the Gilbert family have pledged millions to fund research initiatives in the hopes of finding a cure for NF. 

Read more about the Gilbert Family Foundation’s work here: https://gilbertfamilyfoundation.org/

Follow the high-impact research to develop treatments for neurofibromatosis type 1: https://www.nfxdetroit.org/  

If you are a parent or caregiver seeking NF information: https://www.ctf.org/   

Join us in advancing awareness and understanding of rare diseases. Visit CNBC.com/Cures to access clips, resources, or to sign up for our weekly newsletter. 

Learn more about rare disease – and what to do in a diagnosis – at the National Organization for Rare Disorders: https://rarediseases.org/

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