At Hughes Marino our eighth core value is to “give generously to others.” Some of the most meaningful expressions of that value take shape outside the office, in the causes that our team members devote themselves to on their own time. Vice President Mack Bonebrake is one such example. Mack volunteers at a high level helping raise awareness about Alport syndrome, a rare genetic kidney disease that affects his family. He serves on the Emerging Leadership Council for Alport Syndrome Foundation (ASF), a nonprofit organization that provides education and support to patients and invests in research designed to support the development of potential treatments or a cure.
Alport syndrome is a rare genetic disease that can cause kidney failure, hearing loss, ophthalmological conditions and pregnancy complications. Differences in genetic type and variant, as well as other factors affect each patient’s prognosis and outcomes.
A San Diego native, Mack advises tenant and buyer clients from our San Diego headquarters. He’s especially at home working with San Diego’s life science and biotech community, where he understands the language, the timelines and the pressures his clients face.
As a living kidney donor and rare disease awareness advocate, Mack brings his unique personal and professional perspective to his clients, seeing the work as part of something larger. “By being involved with ASF, which engages with institutions and the life science industry to build a pharmaceutical pipeline for this rare disease, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of the critical value and process of medical research and the need for diagnostic tools, and drug and device development that make a difference in people’s lives. It has also given me a better appreciation for the needs of the biotech community.” Mack notes, “Working with life science clients, I get to combine my personal and professional interests. Real estate can be a vehicle to help other people.” For him, giving generously to others is also a deeply held personal value that began at home.
A Family’s Search for Answers
From childhood, Mack’s mother, Lisa, was diagnosed with kidney disease. However, like many people with Alport syndrome, she was repeatedly misdiagnosed with the wrong cause of her symptoms. Lisa started a family not knowing her kidney disease was genetic and could be passed on to her children. When Mack’s younger brother began experiencing significant hearing loss at age 11, Lisa’s own research led her to suspect Alport syndrome, secure testing, and gain an accurate diagnosis for herself and Mack’s brother. It was a serious diagnosis that shifted the family’s focus and priorities. Genetic testing also confirmed that Mack had not inherited the disease.
Mack’s mother, Lisa, Executive Director of Alport Syndrome Foundation, at a scientific workshop with the FDA in December 2025.
Lisa turned to Alport Syndrome Foundation for education and support. She began volunteering for the organization and raising funds to organize patient meetings across the country. Mack remembers attending their first Alport Connect meeting. They met others facing the same diagnosis and challenges, medical experts and researchers, renal dietitians, kidney transplant specialists and more. They had found a supportive community and felt much less alone.
When It Became Real
Mack grew up knowing that if his brother ever needed a kidney, he wanted to be the donor. In the fall of 2021, the family was driving his brother, then 19, to start college in Colorado when routine lab work revealed he was facing renal failure. Within two months, he was on dialysis.
Mack, Grant and their mother, Lisa, following the brothers’ transplant surgery in December 2021.
Making use of ASF’s educational resources, learning from the experiences of other families, building relationships with medical experts and understanding what steps to take, Mack’s family was ready. After several days of testing, Mack was confirmed as a match and cleared to donate. On December 22, 2021, Mack and his brother both underwent surgery with Mack as the living kidney donor and his brother as the recipient. The surgery went smoothly, and today his brother is living a fuller, more normal life. “It happened so fast, and it was scary,” Mack says, “but we had such great support, education and access to knowledgeable experts through ASF.”
Turning Experience Into a Mission
For the family, the transplant didn’t close the chapter—it deepened their commitment to the community that had carried them through. With a background in non-profit management, Mack’s mother took on the Executive Director role for the organization. In their volunteer roles, Mack and his brother help organize events and volunteer across the country alongside other young adults affected by Alport syndrome. A cornerstone of that work is the annual Alport Connect gathering, which ASF hosts in a different city each year. The organization helps cover travel and lodging costs, making it easier for families to attend who otherwise would not have the resources. More than 170 patients attended the 2026 event in Philadelphia for education and connection. It also drew representatives from seven pharmaceutical and biotech companies now working with ASF to learn about patient experiences and launch clinical trials.
Mack’s mother, Lisa, speaking at Alport Connect. Mack and Grant volunteer at the event each year.
One of Mack’s roles at ASF is being the mentor he wishes he’d had when he was anticipating the kidney transplant donor procedure. “My mind was a storm the night before my surgery, and I didn’t have anyone who had been through it to talk to,” he says. Through ASF, he speaks with siblings, parents and friends weighing whether to become living donors, walking them through what to expect. “Now, when I help ease someone else’s mind, that means everything.” His brother speaks with younger patients navigating life with the disease and those adjusting to post-transplant life.
Beyond their own story, the family’s broader mission is education and awareness. Alport syndrome is often misdiagnosed, overlooked and undertreated. The Foundation works to educate patients and physicians, advocates for genetic testing that can diagnose the disease early, invests in research and patient data collection that is helping shape and advance clinical trials and has established a Public-Private Partnership with the FDA to advance exploration of new treatments or cure.
Mack embodies what it means to give to others, which makes life and work more meaningful. We are grateful for his example, both inside and outside of the office, and proud to have Mack as part of our Hughes Marino team. To learn more about Mack’s involvement in ASF and the work of Alport Syndrome Foundation, visit www.alportsyndrome.org.
