Tamara Rubin

Tamara Rubin lives with her husband and four sons (Colescott, A.J., Avi and Charlie) in Portland Oregon. Her two middle sons were poisoned by the work of a painting contractor she hired in 2005 to repaint the exterior of her historic home. The painter used an open flame torch to remove the old paint on the home to prepare it for repainting and her young sons inhaled the fumes (which permeated the home) and were instantly poisoned. Lead poisoning causes permanent brain damage, behavioral disorders and learning disabilities. After her sons'poisoning she worked tirelessly to educate other families around the world about this issue and became an internationally recognized advocate for lead poisoning prevention and awareness. She has a BFA from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.