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Local foundation helps patients battle cancer
Organization holds bone marrow drives at SDSU
By Stephanie Nehmens, Staff Writer
May 16, 2005 - In addition to marrow donations, the group helps families with everyday expenses. The Emilio Nares Foundation´s marrow drive, April 26, brought in about 65 donors.
Two years ago, 5-year-old Emilio Nares passed away from leukemia. After his death, his parents Richard and Diane decided to dedicate their lives to helping families that suffer through similar situations by founding the Emilio Nares Foundation in 2003.
While the foundation is mainly for children, Richard Nares said it is for people of all ages who are battling cancer. He said on average, the ENF helps a few hundred families a year in San Diego, Temecula and Orange counties.
ENF helps families by using the social workers at San Diego Children's Hospital. The foundation provides services such as bone marrow drives for the cancer patients, grocery money, stress relieving massages for the parents of cancerous children and even facials, manicures and pedicures. ENF will try to cover partial rent or rent for families who cannot afford to pay it themselves.
The ENF held a bone marrow drive at San Diego State on April 26th, which yielded about 65 donors. Sociology senior Catherine Malone, who assisted in the event, said she began volunteering with ENF about a year ago to support a close friend who was suffering from cancer. Following the death of her friend, Maloney has continued to volunteer with ENF and hopes to hold more bone marrow drives at SDSU next year.
Maloney has also helped at drives around San Diego and other colleges such as Mesa and City. Nares said he looks forward to college bone marrow drives, "especially because young people - they're so anxious and eager to learn a lot more."
Along with its other programs, the ENF is also starting a transportation program in June.
"If patients' families do not have cars for them to get to their doctor appointments, it isn't safe for them to ride on public transportation because their immune system is weakened," Nares said.
He said a vanpool could help up to 25 kids per week get to their appointments.
"A lot of these families have two parents working and once your son or daughter gets cancer you can't leave 'em," he said. "Bills go on for two parent (incomes) and now only one's working so it's a struggle.
"And that's why we do cover different areas for the family like partial rent or rent, gas, bills, food, you know - things that people need to live. We have a budget for every family we help."
The ENF gets funding through grants, fundraisers, private donations and exposure obtained in the newspaper.
"People see an article in the paper and you'll get a check for a few hundred or thousand dollars," Nares said. "People see what work you're doing. It's just a grassroots organization, you know, but we try to make a difference for families who need our help."
He credits The Bravo Foundation as being the first foundation to help finance the ENF. To date, the ENF has raised about $100,000 to build the foundation, which is now located in the Nares home. One day soon, the couple hopes to get an office at Children's Hospital.
One family the ENF has helped is the Harris family. Stefon Harris is an 11-year-old boy suffering from Aplastic Anemia. According to www.aplastic-anemia.org, the condition is "not a single disease, but a group of closely related disorders characterized by the failure of the bone marrow to produce all three types of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets."
Stefon explained how ENF helped him.
"(Richard's) foundation made my self esteem higher - I thought this was all for nothing and then I met Richard," he said. "The sickness was hurtful but Richard really helped me; he's like a father to me."
Stefon's mother, Kathy Harris, also expressed her gratitude to the foundation.
"Richard made me feel comfortable when I didn't want to ask anybody to help me - I didn't want to be a burden on anybody," she said. "He came with open arms."
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