Rik and Shannon Bonness are reminded of the importance of medical research each time they look at their sons, who have battled juvenile diabetes for years.
On Monday, May 9, Nebraskans for Research will honor the Omaha couple for being champions of life-saving medical research nationally and locally, including at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The couple will be recognized during the organization’s third annual tribute luncheon, titled “Salute to Rik and Shannon.” The 11:30 a.m. luncheon is at Happy Hollow Club, 1710 S. 105th St.
The couple began their juvenile diabetes advocacy campaign after their sons, Eric and Alex, had both been diagnosed with the disease by age 10.
Rik Bonness, a partner in the law firm Kutak Rock, and Shannon Bonness, an anesthesiologist for Alegent Health System who received her medical degree at UNMC, volunteer for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), locally and nationally, to raise funds and advocate for increased research to find cures for juvenile diabetes and other diseases.
Peter Van Etten, president and CEO of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, is the guest speaker at the luncheon.
As medical research advocates, the Bonness family has shared its story with state lawmakers, in the state’s largest newspapers, and on Capitol Hill. In 2003, the family served as “Chair Family” for JDRF’s Children’s Congress, which gives children with type 1 diabetes the opportunity to help members of Congress understand why research to find a cure for diabetes and its complications is so critical.
A former Nebraska and NFL football player, Rik Bonness joined Kutak Rock in 1989 and specializes in real estate finance. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he also excelled on the football field. He received his MBA from Arizona State University while playing professional football and later earned his law degree from Cornell Law School.
Shannon Bonness received her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University and her master’s degree in nutritional biochemistry from Cornell University. She went on to earn her medical degree from UNMC. She also completed a medical internship in obstetrics and gynecology and a medical residency in anesthesiology.
Nebraskans for Research is a not-for-profit, membership-supported public education and advocacy organization.