NEWPORT BEACH: It was a star studded event at the second annual gala benefit for the Foundation for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (FPID). The gala chose posh Island Hotel in Newport Beach as its home for the night. And what a night!
The ballroom was packed to capacity. The evening was kicked off with a fashion show featuring the latest designs from up and coming Reneta Junjhnuwala. Following this was an array of dazzling performances by Karmography, and Latin ballroom sensations by Ballroom Dance Academy.
Just when you thought you had seen it all in one night, up on the stage appeared legendary actor, performer, and comedian, Joe Piscopo. He had everyone laughing with their mouths open with his stand-up routine. Finally in came The Midtown Men, four of the original cast members of the Broadway show The Jersey Boys, singing their classics. Within seconds the entire ballroom was on the dance floor twisting to their favorite 60’s hits.
The real star of the show was Jack, the now 9-year-old boy who without a timely diagnosis by Dr. Sudhir Gupta (founder of FPID) would not be here today. Jack was 4 months old and suffering from a severe skin condition at the time. He was seen by multiple physicians and finally referred to Dr. Gupta.
From the minute Dr. Gupta set eyes on Jack, he knew that Jack had Ommen’s Syndrome (like the bubble baby). This is a serious genetic defect in the immune system which some children are born with. These children become very ill very quickly and die without treatment. Jack was sent to Children Hospital Los Angeles for a Bone marrow transplant just in time, as he was fading from this life before his parents’ eyes. After several tries, the transplant was successful and after more than 800 days in the hospital, Jack went home. He owes his life to Dr. Gupta and the rapid diagnosis and treatment for his weak immune system.
The story of Jack as narrated by his mother Aerin, who thanked Drs. Gupta and Kapoor (who performed bone marrow transplant) for saving Jack’s life, brought tears and joys to the audience.
The Consul General of India Ambassador N. Parthasarthi commented that “Geetha and I are happy to attend this Gala event particularly as this is for an important cause. We deeply appreciate what you (Dr. Sudhir Gupta) yourself and Dr. Abha Gupta are doing. Your dedication and commitment to help out those who are in need is something worthy of emulation. I wish you every success in your efforts”.
Dr. Thomas Waldmann of the National Institutes of Health, a pioneer in immunology, presented Thoams Waldmann Award for Excellence in Human Immunology to Dr. Mary Ellen Conley for her outstanding contributions to the discovery and understanding of many primary immunodeficiency diseases.
The Foundation for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases was founded by Dr. Sudhir Gupta in 2010 as a not for profit and charitable organization. Dr. Gupta is a world renowned immunologist at the University of California, Irvine. It is his vision to create a charity that will improve lives of people (especially children) born with immune defects in India and the US by providing education, diagnosis, treatment, and research to further our knowledge of these diseases. Dr. Gupta emphasized that primary Immunodeficiencies are not rare diseases; they are 3-4 times more common than hemophilia, 4 times more common than cystic fibrosis, and almost as common as multiple sclerosis, yet poorly recognized. There are 10 million people with primary immunodeficiency worldwide, more than one million in India and more than one half million in the US; many of them have not been diagnosed.
The foundation funds not only research but physician education for improved and rapid diagnosis of these diseases. It funds patient and parent education to increase awareness and finally it provides lifetime treatment for children which amounts to $10-20,000 for each child per year. Last year FPID provided treatment support for 10 children with primary immune deficiencies in India and has committed to provide treatment for their lifetime.
The charity (FPID) is young but with such a unique focused mission and such a dedicated founder, there will be many more stories like Jack’s in the future. FPID has a very distinguished board of International Scientific advisors, including a Nobel Laureate, members of the National Academy of Sciences, and American Academy of science and Arts, and pioneers in stem cell transplantation and gene therapy for primary immunodeficiency diseases.
India Post News Service
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