Laurie Strongin's son Henry passed away at the age of 7 from the blood disorder Fanconi Anemia in 2002. During Henry's battle with this disorder and after he passed away Laurie worked very hard with the United States Congress, which included polar opposites Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich to try and pass the Stem Cell Enhancement Research Act which would have helped Henry during his health crisis. Laurie appeared on Nightline, wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Post criticizing then President Bush for vetoing the legislation, and eventually took part in a White House Ceremony with President Obama who lifted the ban on the funding of the desired bill in 2009.
Laurie also started the Hope For Henry Foundation which directly impacts Pediatric Cancer patients as it looks for ways to make their hospital stays as comfortable and pleasant as possible. This foundation has helped 74,000 kids and the Hope For Henry Program is now in 20 hospitals around the country with definite expansion plans on the horizon.