WordPress Blog going down….

Due to conflict of interest, I must take down this WordPress blog.  Please find us on the new and improved www.cotaforchristopherp.com.  Stay tuned and please be patient as I learn to navigate it.

I want to take a moment to thank all those who’ve donated their last dollar or that precious hour to our cause.  I want to thank those strangers who’ve emailed me (my LandAmerica family across the country!) or called to see how we’re doing and how they can help, etc.  I want to thank those people who’ve come out to our events.

It means so much to us that even though we don’t know each and every one of you, you all are giving Christopher a second chance at life.  There’s no words to express our sincere gratitude – THANK YOU!

Love always,

The Padua Family

Don’t take them with you…Donate Life

As of today, there are 96,944 people awaiting an organ transplant according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and many candidates are added each day to the organ transplant list. Tragically, one in three die – waiting.

Christopher is one of those candidates waiting. Luckily, Chris’ biliary atresia allows for a living donor transplant in which he can receive a piece of someone else’s liver (which will grow back). Ironically, Christopher’s dad, Jason, never wanted to put that pink “Donor” sticker on his driver’s license just like many others I know; and yet, Jason is the most likely candidate as Christopher’s living donor. Jason has humbly placed the pink sticker but that’s not enough – it doesn’t put you on the donor registry list.

We have signed up with the Donate Life California Organ & Tissue Donor Registry. Please join us in saving and enhancing the lives of thousands of people in need of your help. It took us only a few minutes to sign up — minutes that could mean years of life for someone else.

To sign up if you live in California or for more information, please visit http://www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or if you live in another state, please visit http://www.donatelife.net.

On a lasting note, remember that you can’t take your money with you when you die…might as well leave your organs too.

100% covered.

It has come to my attention that more than one person has asked, “Don’t you have insurance?” “Doesn’t your insurance cover the transplant?”

“Yes!” We have the best insurance plan thanks to Jason’s employment at UCSF. You can’t beat $98/month for a growing family!

And even though the transplant surgery would cost about $500K, 100% of the transplant surgery is covered. Let’s hope it stays that way.

I need to clarify that we’re fundraising $40K (a number COTA estimated) for the costs associated with the transplant journey (a lifetime for Christopher) which include, but is not limited to:

• medical copays for the room-stay before and after transplant (Christopher has been hospitalized a total of 5 times so far)
• medication co-pays that will equal about $1,000/month (20+ medications)
• lost income during the transplant stay; time away from work
• transportation and costs associated wit the transplant
• living donor expenses

Some families have to relocate for months to be closer to the transplant center but we’re fortunate to only be 10 miles away from UCSF and that we don’t have to pay for lodging, airfare, etc.

Although these expenses seem minor, we truly appreciate everything that has been donated because without that last $1, we wouldn’t be able to shoulder the financial burden. Thank you for your continued support!

Sponsors Needed please!

Our grassroot efforts are stalling.  We are in dire need of corporate sponsors to host/fund/donate upcoming fundraising events.  We have the passion and energy but no substance to work with!

 If you’re interested or know of potential donors, please email COTAforChristopherP@gmail.com.  We have the packets ready to go but no one to give them to.  We’re looking for venue space, prize donations, pro-bono caterers, etc.  Please help!

Thank you and Happy Friday!

“Don’t bunt.  Aim out of the ballpark.”  -David Olgivy

Christopher’s Article in The Examiner

Here’s a nice article that summarizes it all: Padua Examiner Article 07.07.07

Note: I meant to say Christopher came home from the NICU pink and healthy and at 8 weeks old, the jaundice started to appear.

Thank you for continuing to spread the word!

Special thank you…

…to Jason’s dad, Manuel Padua, Sr. and his coworkers at the U.S. Postal Service – Napoleon St. for the fundraising BBQ on Saturday.  Even though it was freezing cold, people grabbed a bite to eat and went on their routes.  They have told us that they will be holding fundraising events throughout the month to benefit Christopher.  If you see a flier in your mail, you know why.  Thanks to them, they’ve raised $1,500+ for Christopher!

Thank you for coming out to Chris’ 1st Fundraising Event @ Space 550

Thank you all for coming out on Saturday to Space 550. It was a good turnout and an unforgettable night….We did really well making $2,400 from the guestlist and donation boxes. Thank you to the strangers who also put money into the boxes.

Thank you to Mike at Blu Ice Entertainment for hosting and being very hospitable, thank you to Bernadette for being Club Chair and organizing everything, thank you to Cecilia for being Campaign Coordinator, thank you to Jillian for the beautiful poster, thank you to Rachael for the fliers and COTA materials, and thank you to Jean and Caitlin for the fabulous ribbon fliers. Thank you Bethony, Justin, Jay, and Hubert for manning the donation table.

If you have pics, please email them to COTAforChristopherP@gmail.com – I’ll post them here shortly. Pics have been uploaded under the Photo Gallery tab. And if you liked this event and wouldn’t mind another club event, please let us know so we can get another one together.

Thank you all again for your continued support and check out www.cotaforchristopherp.com or here for more information on Chris’ updates, events, etc.

Balitang America Interview with Steve Angeles

If you surprisingly missed the interview on The Filipino Channel, here it is:

To Have Faith

Last night my mom “forced” me to take Christopher to a healing prayer. I say “force” because yes, I did NOT want to go. It was just going to be a bunch of fanatics and their deep faith that God would make it better. Why hope for the better when, in reality, this was Christopher’s fate?

Honestly, I felt that God had betrayed me and praying was the last thing I was going to do. People always told me to pray especially during these trying times but there was something deeper that prevented me from praying. I was hurt, angry, dejected – prayer was the last thing on my mind and the last thing I was going to do. I was angry with myself for being angry at God. Yet, I felt compelled to go because what did I have to lose? All that would happen would be that God would continue to ignore my pleas of desperation.

We got there in time for the Exposition of the Sacraments. That is when the Body of Christ in the form of the host that you take at Holy Communion is put into a beautiful holder and is presented to the people. As the priest walked down each aisle, he would say that a particular person’s illness was being healed. Could it really be possible?

Me being a stubborn jack-Catholic, I rolled my eyes thinking, “There’s no way in h*ll that God could just heal a person then and there.” Or could He? Had I turned into the doubting Thomas? That is when the tears started rolling. I had become a bad person; I had succumbed to the glass half-empty. I really didn’t wanna be mad at God and as much as I didn’t want to be there, being at that healing prayer was my solace. I squeezed into Christopher as he snuggled into me and I spoke with God for the first time in a long time.

“Why me, God?”

“Why MY Christopher?”

“You’ve always been there for me when I needed you but why forsake me NOW?”

And finally, “God, I’m sorry. I trust you and leave our fate in your hands.”

I desperately sought answers to my questions and for the priest to speak of a particular child’s liver illness being healed that very second but that did not come. Instead, the “sick” approached the front row in which the priest prayed over them. It was our turn. The priest placed his hand on Chris, touched his cheeks with anointed oil and prayed. God hadn’t healed Christopher physically but He graced me with Faith that night.

After the healing prayer, the priest spoke about God’s great healing power. He spoke of the crosses people carry in their lives and how those crosses get heavier. After all, “Christopher” means to bear, to carry. But then, God wouldn’t give people those crosses without strengthening their backs. Sometimes He’ll will for a person to get better. Sometimes He won’t because maybe through a person’s sufferings, it atones for someone else’s sins. Who knows?

I’m not a die-hard Catholic, but having faith that God will see me through it is all that I can hope for. I’m not angry with God anymore and I know that He has a plan for my Chris-Chris and us. I just have to have faith that we’ll make it through with God’s help.

NOTE: I don’t mean to upset anyone by my words on religion. I’m just pointing out my return from darkness. A lot of my family are those “fanatics” and I love them and respect them and their relationship with God. Sorry if I have offended anyone. God bless!