Maryann Haggerty chats with Sherie Winston.

The National Press Club hosted a lunch with actor Dennis Quaid Monday afternoon at the National Press Club headquarters on 14th St. Guests enjoyed a roast beef lunch and listened to Quaid speak on the problem of dangerous medical mistakes in light of his twins Zoe and Thomas’ nearly lethal overdose of the blood thinner Heparin.

After he was introduced by National Press Club president Alan Bjerga, the National Press Club surprised Quaid with a birthday cake for his 56th birthday on April 9th. This prompted the entire room to sing “Happy Birthday” to the actor.

“My story was nearly catastrophic,” Quaid said. “I am not here to denigrate doctors and nurses, I revere them for their work.”

Quaid said that many in the medical field are overworked and underappreciated and everyone makes mistakes, referring to the 1,000 times the common dosage of Heparin his twins received.

Quaid is co-founder of the Quaid Foundation, an organization dedicated to patient safety. The Quaid Foundation recently partnered with the Texas Medical Institute of Technology.

As a nod to his next movie (he’ll play surfer Bethany Hamilton’s father) and his band’s name (The Sharks), guests snacked on cookies in the shape of sharks.

–report and photographs by Kate Oczypok

Kay De Silva, Mary Ann Hoffman, Nicole Durity-Thomas, Linda Loffredo, Judith Taggart