From love to legacy: A family’s gift to future patients

In the doctor’s office, a mother who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and her daughter sat together, bracing for the unknown world of a degenerative neurological disorder with no cure.

“No one wants to be there,” Lauren Weil Friedman says of that first appointment. “But when Dr. Erin Furr Stimming walked into the room, her connection with my mother was instant.”

From that moment on, her mother, the late Diana “Dede” Miller Weil, loved seeing her doctor—especially important for patients with chronic neurological conditions like hers that require regular appointments.

Dede always came to the last appointment of the day, but Furr Stimming—Memorial Hermann Chair and Professor in the Department of Neurology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston—never glanced at the clock or rushed to leave.

“Those meetings were precious to me—and a privilege,” Furr Stimming says.

In addition to disease management, the pair spent much of their time talking about their families and building a connection, which meant the world to the very sociable Dede.

“My mother was always so full of life and just loved people. She had the biggest personality and saw life through rose-colored glasses,” Lauren says. “She was as cute as a bug.”

Dede’s optimism sometimes made medical appointments tricky for her daughter. Dede would always tell her doctor she was fine, so Lauren would follow Furr Stimming into the hallway and give her the fuller picture of her mother’s struggles. Furr Stimming always listened, making both Dede and Lauren feel seen and heard.

The compassion and care Furr Stimming showed left a lasting impression on the Weil family, as it reflected everything they valued: kindness, relationships, and a deep commitment to helping others. Those same traits defined their father, Sylvan “Connie” Conrad Weil, Jr.

“He was the nicest person ever,” Lauren says. “Everyone who knew him—in business and his personal life—would say that.”

Connie, a real estate developer, passed away in 2021. “That took a big piece of my mom,” Lauren says. “My parents were incredibly devoted to each other. Her decline accelerated after his passing.”

Her parents left Lauren and her two brothers, Steven and Ronnie, in charge of their family foundation, an extension of the generosity that defined their lives. The siblings knew exactly how they wanted to honor their parents’ legacy—by supporting Furr Stimming’s research to advance discoveries that will improve quality of life for others facing Parkinson’s disease. They established the Diana and Conrad Weil, Jr. Neurology Research and Innovation Endowment at McGovern Medical School in 2025.

“Even though the care my mother received was unbelievable and our doctor was amazing, there is still a long way to go with Parkinson’s disease,” Lauren said. “No one can do research without funding, and research is the key to improving life for all the other people who will be diagnosed with this condition.”

Furr Stimming feels humbled by the donation and deeply grateful for the difference it will make. She notes that an aging population is leading to rapidly growing rates of patients with Parkinson’s disease, making research all the more critical.

“Actually, many of the neurodegenerative diseases have overlapping features, so conducting research for one can help develop better treatments for the others as well,” she says. “Better treatments for any neurodegenerative disorders start in the lab and are dependent on support like this.”

For Lauren, the act of giving brought a surprising sense of fulfillment.

“It was so special to be able to do this, so exciting. It was like Christmas morning when you have the joy of watching someone open a gift,” she says.

A matching opportunity from the UTHealth Houston Trailblazers program doubled the reach of their generosity. For a limited time, the university is providing a one-to-one match with institutional funds to new, qualified pledges of $100,000 to $1,000,000 to enhance existing endowments or establish new ones.

“This donation can’t bring our mother back,” Lauren notes, “but it can make life better for the next person—and that’s what my parents would have wanted.”

Learn more

For patients with complex neurological diseases, access to compassionate, innovative treatments can open the door to brighter futures and healthier lives. At UTHealth Houston, our faculty deliver expert care, drive groundbreaking research, and train the next generation of physicians. Learn more about their work and how it is making a difference to other patients like Dede.