Advocacy & Awareness
Fred and Vicki lobbied in Washington D.C. for decades, securing nationwide newborn screening for PI and advancing essential federal support for immunodeficiency patients and families nationwide.
Our Founders
Fred and the late Vicki Modell created a world where no patient or family faces Primary Immunodeficiency alone.
After losing their son Jeffrey at 15 to complications of PI, they promised to find and save "the next Jeffrey"— establishing the Jeffrey Modell Foundation in 1987 in his memory.
Guided by "Test. Diagnose. Treat.", they became passionate advocates for early PI diagnosis. In 1993, they developed the 10 Warning Signs of Primary Immunodeficiency, revolutionizing how physicians identify at-risk patients worldwide.
Legacy of Action
You taught us that to succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone. The wishbone is the for the ideals, the goals, and the dreams. The backbone is for the fortitude and the courage to pursue them. And the funny bone is for the laughter and tears that are necessary - for the little bumps along the road.
— Vicki Modell
Jeffrey Modell
1970-1986
"If I can stop one heart from breaking
I shall not live in vain,
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain."
— Emily Dickinson