Meet Emma
At George Mark Children’s House every child is celebrated, and every moment holds the possibility for cherished memories to be made.
Omar and Angelica Serrano felt this transformation—and the support and love of GMCH’s talented medical team—the first day they entered the doors of George Mark.
Exhausted and overwhelmed, they held their fragile newborn daughter, Emma. At just two weeks old, Emma had only experienced the sterile environment of a hospital. “I can still picture the tubes and wires she was connected to," Angelica recalls. “When we learned she wouldn’t live much longer, we were devastated and scared. How would we survive this?” The Serranos feared they would never be able to bring Emma home from the hospital, but everything changed when they arrived at George Mark. “We realized we were home,” Angelica said. “This was our home with Emma.”
At George Mark, regardless of the activity, the goal is the same: to bring joy to the heart, to enhance quality of life, and to create treasured memories that help families endure the present and find peace as the future unfolds.
“My only positive memories of Emma are the days wespent with her at George Mark Children’s House.” says Angelica Serrano, Emma’s mother.
“Our fears and traumatizing experiences were washed away the day we entered George Mark,” Angelica shared. “It changed our lives and how our family looks at the end of life,” she added. “Coming to George Mark was the best decision we made. It allowed us to say goodbye in a peaceful, compassionate, and loving environment.” Now a part of the George Mark family, the Serranos continue to enjoy George Mark events and their children refer to it as “Emma’s House.”
Emma’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 Penny
Penny DeBoer was only a year old when she was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma. And, to complicate things, she was in foster care.
“In some ways I’m glad she was a foster kid at the beginning, because that’s why we were at UCSF Benioff Oakland. I don’t think we would have survived without that community. The care was second to none.” says Andrea DeBoer, Penny’s mother.
After two years of grueling treatment, Penny participated in a clinical trial of a new treatment specifically for neuroblastoma patients. By the time she entered kindergarten, she was in remission.
Today, Penny is 7 years old and thriving. The DeBoers officially adopted her, and have never looked back. While many of the side effects of cancer treatment, including vision loss, will follow her for the rest of her life, she has nevertheless grown into a cheerful, silly, independent, and resilient child who loves school and gymnastics and dreams of becoming a doctor one day.
“Foster kids like Penny are an under-resourced population that still deserves exceptional care,” says Andrea. “Just because you’re in the system doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have access to the best possible care. And at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, she was able to access that, as were so many other under-resourced families who we met while we were there. I wouldn’t have wanted my child anywhere else in the world. It was just the right place for us.”
Through the help of UCSF’s brilliant staff and her own incomparable perseverance, Penny 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 Penny 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.