Meet Tucker
After suffering serious complications during pregnancy, Audra gave birth to her son, Tucker, three and a half months early. Their challenging family journey began with Tucker spending seven months in the NICU at UCSF, where he required a gastronomy tube, oxygen, and critical medications to survive. He was eventually diagnosed with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and a developmental disorder.
Shortly after Tucker was discharged, Audra learned about George Mark Children’s House (GMCH) and its respite care program, which offers short breaks for parents while ensuring that their medically challenged children receive high-quality care. Tucker had his first respite stay at GMCH at 11 months old.
“ Tucker lit up with happiness, especially during a hydrotherapy session where he started belly laughing—a cherished memory.” -Audra, Tucker’s mother
Now 16, Tucker has had many stays at GMCH. His favorite experiences include visits with therapy animals, listening to music with the nurses, and participating in special events like Pumpkin Day and Summer Picnics. Although Tucker is non-speaking, Audra says he yells and laughs with happiness during his visits. The staff’s excitement to see him makes Tucker feel special and loved. Tucker has also relied on GMCH for transitional care after hospital stays, including a visit post hip-surgery, where GMCH helped with pain management.
Tucker’s story highlights the vital role GMCH plays in the lives of patients and their families, allowing them to experience moments of normalcy and joy while creating memories with their parents and siblings even during the most challenging times.
George Mark relies largely on the support of foundations and individual donors like you to sustain its mission to provide life-affirming care and comfort to children with chronic or terminal medical conditions and their families.
Meet Dilan
At 12 years old, Dilan was a gifted student and star catcher on his Little League team. He lived with a minor nut allergy, but his symptoms were limited to an itchy throat and occasional vomiting. Then, during his family’s summer vacation in Croatia, everything changed. After eating a chocolate croissant which purportedly did not contain nuts, Dilan started to struggle. Within minutes, he stopped breathing and had no pulse.
“He went from being perfectly fine to fighting for his life just like that,” says Steven, Dilan’s father.
The severe allergic reaction put Dilan in a coma, and at one point doctors feared he would never reawaken.
Dilan was stabilized at a nearby hospital, but an MRI revealed a grave prognosis: Oxygen deprivation had resulted in severe brain damage. Dilan was transported to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, where he spent two months in the rehabilitation unit undergoing hours of daily physical, speech and occupational therapy sessions.
Dilan started with basic skills, progressing from shaping Play-Doh to doing math homework. His therapy sessions also included time in an exoskeleton, a wearable robot with computerized sensors and motors. This leading-edge technology would eventually help Dilan re-learn what most of us take for granted: how to walk. His doctors and therapists challenged him while supporting him, and the hospital became a second home.
Through the help of UCSF’s brilliant staff and his own incomparable perseverance, Dilan has made a miraculous recovery. From pediatric cancer to rare genetic diseases, UCSF is tackling the most challenging medical issues children may face with world-class facilities, innovative research, and exceptional care. Your generous donations are crucial to giving children like Dilan another chance at life.
The Children's Health Guild is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization of volunteers dedicated to raising funds for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland (UBCHO) and George Mark Children's House (GMCH) in San Leandro. Please note 100% of the proceeds from the Annual Giving Campaign go directly to our beneficiaries.