It was November of 2011, seven year old Ilai just completed a successful soccer season. Looking forward to returning to school after Thanksgiving break, his first day back did not go well. Ilai called home complaining of pain in his left knee. Ilai saw his pediatrician that day and was immediately referred to Rady Children’s Hospital for an X-ray.

At the Hospital, doctors found a growth in Ilai’s left leg and performed a biopsy. Ilai’s parents, Debi and Avi, were given the devastating news that they should be prepared for a cancer diagnosis. “The wait and the utter feeling of uncertainty and helplessness was the most traumatic time of our lives.” said Debi. Ilai’s parents soon learned that his pain was caused by diffuse large B cell stage 2-lymphoma bone cancer. This type of cancer is aggressive and requires immediate treatment. Debi and Avi were relieved to hear that although Ilai’s cancer is rare it is treatable.

“Ilai’s parents quickly learned as much as they could about the disease to determine whether or not Rady Children’s Hospital could cure their angel”, said Debi. They spoke to leading Doctors in the U.S.. “All of them confirmed that the treatment plan prescribed by Doctor Schiff of the Peckham Center was effective, and that the facility at the Peckham Center was state of the art”, Debi explained.
“Over the next four months Rady Children’s Hospital became our home and Ilai began his courageous journey to recovery” said Debi. Debi and Avi were impressed with the cutting edge program at the hospital. “Alongside the chemo, Ilai received yoga, reflexology, acupuncture, psychological guidance as well as a healthy diet, pure air and water”, she added.

“Ilai experienced painful side effects from chemo, but coped amazingly well”, said Debi. Today he is cancer free, out of his wheel chair, and back to scoring soccer goals. “Ilai’s golden hair grew back shinier and he is stronger than ever”, she said. “We remain forever grateful for the support we received from our family, community, hospital and especially our Doctor at Rady Children’s Hospital who tenaciously protected and nursed Ilai to recovery”, Debi added. “We believe that Ilai’s bravery, positive attitude and inner strength are not unique. Our challenge is to empower children to harness their strengths to overcome disease”, said Debi.

Rady Children’s Hospital Peckham Center, Ilai and his caring support team proved it is possible!

Our 16^th annual gala draws its inspiration and title sponsorship from 9 year old Henry Reif, and his parents, Tracy & Leo Spiegel, founders of Henry’s Fund.  Their journey in support of the Peckham Center began with a relatively simple surgery: 8 year-old Henry Reif was having a tonsillectomy. Surgery went well. Upon being discharged, the doctor gave a standard warning for tonsillectomy patients: although bleeding was rare, occurring in less than one percent of all cases, if it happened to Henry it must be checked immediately. Six days later, Henry calmly walked down the hallway of his home and said to his mother, Tracy Reif-Spiegel, “Mom, I need to show you something.”  Walking into his bathroom, Tracy saw large amounts of blood while Henry continued to cough up even more. Between coughs, Henry calmly stated, “You need to take me to the hospital.” Henry was then rushed to Rady Children’s Hospital. Three weeks later, a battery of tests revealed that Henry had a very rare condition, one that would forever alter the way he lived. Henry had Hemophilia type B.

Hemophilia B, also known as Factor IX deficiency, is a hereditary bleeding disorder caused by a lack of blood clotting Factor IX. Without enough Factor IX, the blood cannot clot properly to control bleeding. Henry is one of only 3,300 people in the U.S. diagnosed with Hemophilia B, which translates to about one in 30,000 live male births. There is little reward for research and drug development and progress in treating the disease has been slow, according to research professionals at UCSD.

Henry and his family have to be cautious and prepared at all times because injuries to the head can be life threatening and injuries to his joints can be permanently debilitating unless Factor IX is administered immediately. Each dose costs $5,000, a prohibitive amount for anyone without good medical insurance. Even with good insurance the co-pay per dose is $450 and when given by infusion provides protection for only 24 hours. Henry’s family keeps three doses of Factor IX available at all times. The medication has a limited refrigerated shelf life of just 18 months. “It would be great to know that I was protected for one week or one month,” said Henry, “it’s also super expensive, so I wish it was cheaper for kids that don’t have insurance or can’t afford the co-pay.” Since his diagnosis, Henry has been to the hospital four times for an infusion. His family has the financial resources to provide for his care, but they worry about others who don’t. “We need to help those who can’t afford their medication; and we want to fund research to work on making the effect of the factor work longer once infused,” said Tracy, who launched Henry’s Fund for just that purpose. “My first husband died of cancer and then Henry was diagnosed with Hemophilia B; and I just had an epiphany that I needed to give back – both with time and resources,” she added.

Living with Hemophilia B also means that Henry misses out on some of the activities he enjoys most: playing football, basketball, soccer and lacrosse. When playing baseball, he’s limited to the mildly safe position of an outfielder. “My disease gets in the way since I can’t skateboard or play most sports, but I deal with it,” said Henry, now 9 years old, “I’m not scared but my mom is!” Despite his setbacks, Henry and Tracy see Hemophilia not just as a disease but also a journey that has brought their family, friends and community closer together. “There is a fine line between keeping him normal and keeping him aware. This is part of his life, but I don’t want to make it his whole life. Mostly it has taught our entire family not to take anything in life for granted.”

U.S. News & World Report announced the results of its comprehensive survey to identify the top children’s hospitals in the country in ten pediatric specialties. Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego was ranked amongst the nation’s best in five pediatric specialties. With more than 200 children’s hospitals in the United States, the top rankings place Rady Children’s among the nation’s elite. (more…)

You won’t often hear a family with a child battling leukemia talk about what a “remarkable” experience they’ve had. But 8-year-old Tyler and his family focus on the many bright sides of his life since Tyler was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). (more…)

McCain Inc. and the Rancho Santa Fe Unit of Rady Children’s Hospital Auxiliary hosted its 14^th annual fundraising gala, Stand Up for Rady Children’s Cancer Care Center, an Evening With Bill Cosby, at the Grand Del Mar on February 27. The evening began with a silent auction, cocktails and (more…)

“I don’t like cancer but if I stay strong, take my medicine and think happy thoughts, I will win my battle.” –Austin Gatus, August 2007

In retrospect, Austin’s mother Eva realized there were signs something was wrong, but at the time Austin’s early symptoms — aching muscles, and occasional stomachaches and headaches — seemed inconsequential. But as his family was returning home from vacation Austin started gasping for air so they took him to Rady Children’s. (more…)

Bill Cosby, a much-loved comedian and one of the finest positive fatherly role models on television, will bring his legendary and timeless humor to The Grand Del Mar, Saturday February 27 for the Rancho Santa Fe Unit of Rady Children’s Hospital Auxiliary 14^th annual fundraiser: Stand Up for Rady Children’s Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, an Evening With Bill Cosby. (more…)

The Rancho Santa Fe Unit of Rady Children’s Hospital Auxiliary hosted its 13th annual fundraising gala, Stand Up for Rady Children’s Cancer Care Center, a Night Out With Frank Caliendo, at the Grand Del Mar on February 21st. The evening began with a silent auction, cocktails and stand up food (more…)

Community support has been tremendous for “Stand Up for Rady Children’s Cancer Care Center, a Night Out With Frank Caliendo,” the 13^th annual fundraising event hosted by the Rancho Santa Fe Unit of Rady Children’s Hospital Auxiliary at the Grand Del Mar February 21. (more…)