OyChicago blog

Lauren Toppel, one of the Lash Bash organizers with Matt’s mom, Roberta

Last July, I wrote A Tribute to Matt, an article that celebrated the life of Matt Lash, a 2007 graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law. Matt died April 30, 2008 at age 27 after a seven and a half year battle with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. As I wrote a little over a year ago, though he only lived in Chicago for a short time, Matt left a lasting mark on the people he met here, both through law school and his Birthright Israel trip.

Last year, a group of Matt’s law school friends initiated the Matthew Louis Lash Scholarship Fund at Kent in his memory, to be awarded to a student facing health challenges. Marking the one-year anniversary of his death, Matt’s family, friends and classmates, including Lauren Toppel, Laura Potter and Ben Panter, organized the “Lash Bash,” held April 25 at Grand Central in Lincoln Park to raise funds for the scholarship. Over 150 people attended the event, adding $8,000 to the ongoing effort to fully fund the Matt Lash Scholarship.

Even though I never met Matt, after talking to his mom, Roberta, and learning all about his life, it feels like I knew him—or at least I wish I had. So, I went to the Lash Bash, and the love and support that filled the bar that night was palpable and overwhelming. In just 27 short years, Matt was able to become the kind of person who touched and motivated people, who made an impact and a difference in people’s lives. I left the bar that night wondering if I would ever become even half the person that Matt was—he certainly inspired me to try.

For more information, visit http://www.kentlaw.edu/depts/alums/enews/index.html