Siblings devoted to brain disorder research
By Margery Walshaw Special to the Thousand Oaks Acorn

Meggin Hollister Hagendoorn and John Hollister

Thousand Oaks residents John Hollister and his sister, Meggin Hollister Hagendoorn, have devoted their lives to studying the brain, a pursuit strongly influenced by another sister's battle with chronic schizophrenia.

As a child, Meggin shared the dream of many little girls-to grow up and become a movie star. But at age 12 her ambition changed when she saw her 15year-old sister, Annick, cut her own wrists after being tormented by a vision.

"It was the beginning of a very dark period in our lives, but it was also an incident that lent a sense of purpose for my family," recalled Meggin, who, during her pursuit of a doctorate in clinical psychology from USC, demonstrated an association between schizophrenia and Rh factor incompatibility (Rh-negative mother/Rh-positive child), a finding since replicated.

Annick's illness united the family in the common goal of educating others about brain disorders. Today, Meggin is an independent medical writer for companies such as Amgen. John, a former director of global marketing, oncology for Amgen, now serves as CEO of EEG Spectrum International. The company is a leader in the field of neuro-feedback software equipment and training, which helps clinicians treat individuals with a range of brain-related disorders.

The siblings' parents, Hal and Patsy Hollister, became involved with NARSAD: The Mental Health Research Association and later founded NARSAD Artworks.

Meggin and her husband, Michiel, a programmer at Amgen, have a son. John and his wife, Suzanne, have three children, and John has coached many teams including AYSO, T.O. Little League and CYBA. Despite commitments to their families, careers and communities, the family has taken on what may be their greatest personal endeavor, fundraising for mental health research.

"Campaign for the Brain: A Silver Ribbon Weekend" kicks off with an art auction and dinner dance on Sat., June 24 at Paramount Studios. It will be followed on Sun., June 25 by a scientific symposium and a "Moods and Music" concert narrated by New York Times bestselling author Kay Redfield Jamison at UCLA's Royce Hall.

From its 1987 inception, NARSAD has become known throughout the world as the largest nonprofit organization that distributes funds for brain disorder research.

To date, the organization has awarded more than $194.5 million in scientific grants for brain disorder research.

For information on "Campaign for the Brain" events, call (323) 904-4400 or go to www.silverribbon.org.