'Mr. Smyth' is going to Washington

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Oct 05, 2000 Source: The Chatham Daily News (Ontario, Canada) Submitted By: Verna Local firm contributing to White House memorial By Pam Wright For The Chatham Daily News A tribute to a Florida woman who died from lupus will see the workmanship of a Chatham company heading to the White House this fall. Smyth Memorials has been contracted by the fledgling Dorough Lupus Foundation to provide the stones to construct a walkway in Washington, D.C., in memory of Caroline Dorough-Cochrane. Dorough-Cochrane is the sister of Backstreet Boys singer Howie 'D' Dorough. Dorough started the foundation following the death of his sister two years ago. Angie Herring acts as the foundation's executive director and is the eldest sister in the Dorough family. She was in Chatham Friday to finalize plans for the walkway, which is expected to be presented to Hilary Rodham Clinton this month. Angie Herring acts as the foundation's executive director and is the eldest sister in the Dorough family. She was in Chatham Friday to finalize plans for the walkway, which is expected to be presented to Hilary Rodham Clinton this month. A friend of the Dorough family is a personal friend of Rodham Clinton. Through this relationship came the idea of the Washington memorial. Rodham Clinton's involvement in the cause is expected to bring some much-needed attention to the disease, whose victims are 90 per cent female. According to Herring, lupus is often misdiagnosed because the symptoms mimic other diseases. It is a chronic auto immune disorder which causes inflammation of the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. With lupus, the body loses the ability to differentiate between foreign substances and its own tissues. It begins to produce antibodies and attacks itself. Herring said there is very little information available about lupus. She said the most recent statistics on the disease date back to 1994. She feels little attention is given to it because it is perceived as a "women's disease". The popularity of the Backstreet Boys is proving beneficial to the foundation's fund-raising efforts. Fan club members are sending in donations and two concerts have been staged by the group to raise funds. A silent auction at Universal Studios in Florida in June raised $100,000. It was the foundation's first fund-raising effort. "My brother is a caring person," said Herring. "He is working very hard to honour the memory of my sister." Smyth Memorials became involved earlier this year following a recommendation from Chatham resident Liz Fields, who acts as a volunteer committee member of the Dorough Lupus Foundation. Calling it an "underdog disease", Fields became involved with the Dorough Lupus Foundation after learning about it on the Internet. Her ideas and commitment have been well received by the Dorough family. Fields came up with the walkway proposal and recommended Smyth Memorials after admiring the work the company did on the Thames Campus donation wall. Smyth Memorials general manager Dennis Brewer is honoured his company has been chosen and hopes to go to the White House with his family for the dedication. Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: johnansaz http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Comment on this item. Next Item: MTV Europe Music Awards - BSB Nominated and will Perform Prev Item: Backstreet Boys Autograph Game Boy Colors For Charity