About this episode
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/ Follow Becky Quick on X: @BeckyQuick Please share your thoughts or rare disease story in the comments, and join us on The Path. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.