Blue's Gift Foundation

09/28/2026

I just got off a Zoom with the research team at the Italian Liver Foundation, and it is incredibly exciting to see how far this work has come.

The team is now working to map bilirubin-associated changes in gene activity across 12–14 different areas of Blue’s brain — studying each region individually to better understand how bilirubin injury affected his brain at the molecular level.

We are hopeful that the bioinformatics analysis could be completed by the end of this year. From there, we plan to bring neuropathology expertise into the project to examine the tissue findings alongside the molecular data and help us understand what the results may be telling us — and what questions we should ask next.

I cannot say enough about the extraordinary commitment of the Italian Liver Foundation. They have fully embraced this mission and raised more than €150,000 to get this research off the ground and moving forward.

This is what we hoped brain donation could do.

There is still so much we do not understand about kernicterus, but Blue’s brain is giving researchers an opportunity to look at this disease in ways that simply have not been possible before.

Blue’s gift continues. 💙

09/24/2026

08/30/2026

We’ve been quiet on social media, but Blue’s Gift has been very busy behind the scenes.

Blue’s donated brain tissue has reached the research team in Italy — and the research has begun.

The scientists are working toward something that has never been available in this field before: a detailed molecular map of bilirubin-induced brain damage, looking not only at where injury occurs in the brain, but at the molecular changes happening within those regions.

The project includes advanced techniques such as spatial transcriptomics, RNA analysis, histology and immunofluorescence, alongside laboratory models studying how bilirubin injury develops over time.

Blue made the decision to donate his brain for kernicterus research. Seeing that gift finally reach scientists and become actual research is difficult to put into words.

But this is exactly why Blue’s Gift exists.

His gift is working. And we’re just getting started. 💙

04/19/2026

One last breath.
One last wish.
One vital milestone.

After 33 months, I finally got the email I have been praying for.

WE ARE HERE. 💙

More to come.