HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—First Entertainment CU’s efforts to tell the story of a young CU member battling pulmonary hypertension—a rare and often fatal disease—received a big boost Friday morning from NASDAQ.
The stock exchange tweeted out to its 385,000 Twitter followers a plug for the CU’s profile of 12-year-old Lucas Van Wormer, who suffers from the rare disease that affects blood pressure and can lead to heart failure.
NASDAQ tweeted: “A Remarkable Story of Courage, Determination and Hope. Become #PHAware/firstenttheshow.com/profiles/steve…rare diseaseday2015.”
Lucas’s story appears in the $1.2-billion First Entertainment’s quarterly newsletter, The Show (Firstenttheshow.com). The video profile tells the story of Lucas’s fight against the disease, and how he is winning. It also addresses how Lucas’ father, Steve, has not only partnered with his son in the fight, but also how he works with Lucas on the job.
Steve is a senior writer/producer at Fox Sports, and he has helped Lucas land some voiceover rolls for the news and TV network. The credit union’s primary field of membership is people who work in the entertainment industry.
The story also explains how Steve is working to raise awareness of pulmonary hypertension—creating a worldwide campaign, including driving awareness of Rare Disease Day 2015, which takes place Feb. 28.
“It’s a fascinating story,” said Roy Mackinnon, VP of marketing at First Entertainment, who said the credit union was thrilled Lucas’ story is receiving national attention. “We always tell stories of our members, and if we can raise awareness of Lucas’ fight, it’s a beautiful thing.”
Following the NASDAQ tweet, marketing and PR expert Jeffrey Hazylett and actress Laura Dern favored the tweet.