“There are moments in life that change you forever,” began Nancy Davis when she took the stage at Cure Addiction Now’s third annual benefit at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Monday, Nov. 9. “Sometimes, it’s the phone call. It’s the call that every parent, husband, wife, brother or sister of someone struggling with addiction lives in fear of. It’s the call that stops your heart before you even answer. It’s the call that will change your life forever, that tells you that someone you love is never coming home. I unfortunately got that call.”
Davis stated how every three minutes in America, someone gets that call — which is why the Race to Erase MS founder created Cure Addiction Now (CUD), a nonprofit dedicated to funding innovative research for substance use disorder (SUD).
“Eight years ago, my son Jason and I started this charity together,” Davis said. “Jason had struggled with addiction for 12 years. He knew this disease in a way no doctor or researcher ever could.” She noted how her son had been going to funeral for friends and had tried hard to stay sober, going to multiple treatments, but that nothing worked for very long. “He said, ‘Mom, we need to create real science. We need new treatments. We need to find a cure.'”
Of her son, Davis recalled, “he was funny, talented, loving, an actor, writer, a piano player and singer, someone who could light up a room.” “At just 12 years old, after losing his friend Chris Farley, he wrote a brilliant screenplay called Just One More Day,” Davis said. “He understood people and their pain and had an important dream.”
“Tragically, I lost Jason before he could see this dream could become a reality,” continued Davis, whose nonprofit funds cutting-edge research through a collaborative program aimed at creating new therapies to help stop the deadly cycle of SUD as well as eliminating the negative stigma of this disease — with hopes of ultimately finding a cure for addiction.
This year, Davis and team also created a short film, The Call, about the moment a family receives that phone call. Paris Dylan and Skye Peters directed the film written by Jesse Lasky and produced by Kyle Stefanski, Tony Lugo, Nancy Davis, Alexandra Lasky and Isabella Rickel. The moving film stars Frances Fisher (Titanic), Ava Phillippe (Ransom Canyon), Jessica Belkin (Elle), Cara Santana Leto (The Neighborhood), Kai Caster (Yellowstone), Jasper Polish (Animal Kingdom), Lisa Vidal, Crayton Carrozza, Kevin Kreider, Mariella Rickel and Katie Cassidy (Arrow).
Conceptualized and executive produced by Davis, the film — which will make a debut festival run — supports Cure Addiction Now, with all proceeds set to benefit the nonprofit. Added Davis, “We want the world to feel the urgency, to break the stigma and to understand that we have to do better.”
Philippe and Fisher introduced the film prior to a trailer premiering. “This film isn’t just about loss; it’s about about awareness and compassion and the importance of having conversations that could save lives,” Philippe said.
Cure Addiction Now’s third annul benefit attended by guests like Jane Seymour, Tessa Hilton, Jonathan Cheban and Audrina Patridge also featured performances by Siedah Garrett, Alec Benjamin, Sam Nelson Harris (X Ambassadors) and David Foster. Live and silent auctions raised money toward Davis — and her son’s — original goals.
By collaborating with doctors from Mount Sinai, UCLA, Scripps, University of Washington, University of Maryland, University of Kentucky, Johns Hopkins and the University of Texas Medical Branch, the organization has funded 23 groundbreaking studies focused on stopping the brain’s craving mechanism, making detox easier and more affordable, and furthering research into vaccines.
“To my beautiful son Jason, I miss you so much every day that my heart hurts,” Davis said. “I promised Jason I would never stop fighting to find better treatments and save lives. And I promise to keep that.”
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