September 2010
Greetings from the Cristian Rivera Foundation.Welcome to the latest edition of the Cristian Rivera Foundation newsletter. September is a very important month for us, both in terms of our goal to cure Pontine Glioma and our personal connection to Cristian Rivera.
September 13th marked what would have been Cristian Rivera’s eighth birthday. His father acknowledged the day by going to a restaurant he and Cristian loved to go to. He then went home and read all of his online journal entries chronicling Cristian’s illness and the Foundation’s milestones.
“I signed Cristian’s guestbook at exactly 12 am today, then lit a candle and prayed,” John wrote in his online journal. “I kissed Cristian’s urn and I spent some time in his room. I could see him sitting there, playing with his trains, as we did so often…He could have played with them for hours, and then we would end the night watching DVDs while I massaged his back, feet and underarms.” For more on John’s remembrances of Cristian on his birthday, click the Journal tab at www.cristianriverafoundation.org.
Symbolically, Cristian’s birthday fell on the same date as the official National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day, a day when we call attention to the pediatric cancers that affect young children like Cristian. In fact, the entire month of September is an important one for causes like ours. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and with 300 children dying from Pontine Glioma alone every year, we can only begin to imagine how many children across the country are affected by pediatric cancers of all types and need to be remembered throughout this very special month.
In the same way that breast cancer is associated with pink and AIDS is associated with red, the color that signifies Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is gold. By wearing a gold ribbon, you can show your support for children and families dealing with cancer, as well as those whose loved ones have been lost.
We at the Cristian Rivera Foundation are proud to acknowledge Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and hope that families all across the country will get the help and funding they need to cure the terrible diseases that take such young, vibrant lives. But our quest doesn’t begin and end in September. It lasts all year round and we won’t rest until a cure for Pontine Glioma is found.
You can help us reach our goal by making a tax-deductible donation, buying a Cristian Rivera Foundation signature blue wristband or t-shirt, or by purchasing a ticket to the Second Annual Cristian Rivera Foundation Gala. This year’s gala will take place on Tuesday, October 19 from 6pm to 10pm at Quo, located at 511 West 28th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues in New York City. Details on ticket prices, special guests and more will be available soon so be sure to keep checking the News and Events tabs of www.cristianriverafoundation.org.
As always, we thank you for the support you’ve shown us as a valued member of the Cristian Rivera Foundation family. Please visit the Shop tab at www.cristianriveradfoundation.org to purchase t-shirts and wristbands, and continue to spread the word to friends, family and colleagues. Talk about the Foundation, forward this newsletter or even post it on your Facebook, Twitter and other social networking pages so that they too can get involved and help us to cure Pontine Glioma once and for all.
Sincerely,
John “Gungie” Rivera, “Forever Cristian’s Daddy,” and all of the members of the Cristian Rivera Committee: Alex Garcia, Andy Epstein, Anthony Mason, Aurora Flores, Boy Wonder, David Maldonado, Denise Miranda, DJ Camilo, DJ Funkmaster Flex, DJ Tedsmooth, Dr. Ben Velazquez, Dr. Mary Saleeby, Edward Caban, Elis Pacheco, Fernando Ferrer, Hamlet Peralta, James R. Cotto, Jay Hernandez, Jeff & Valerie Lavino, Jim Jones, Jimmy Rodriguez, J.I. Starr, John “Jellybean” Benitez, Johnny Nuñez, Jose Alberto “El Canario,” Joseph Mbeh, Kamar De Los Reyes, Kenya Bradix, Khaliah Ali, Little Louie Vega, Lucho Concepcion, Luis Guzman, Mark Rosner, Mathew “Mateo” Rajkumar, Melissa Chung, Miriam Colon, Murray Richman, Pablo Diaz, Ralph Mercado III, Ray Wong, Ricardo Cardona, Robert Vasquez, Solange Osorio, Steve Cox, Vic Latino, Victor Martinez and William Pla.
