SHOWCASELARIATWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2011 8Community unites in support of 4-year-old boy with brain cancer

photo by alyssa hunter/lariat

TAILGATE DONATIONS: At the tailgate event before Saddleback’s homecoming game, donations were collected for 4-year-old Max Wilford.

KYLIE CORBETT

Saddleback College’s faculty came together this past summer to lend a helping hand to Direc-tor of Student Develop-ment, Audra DiPadova, and her family situation.

Max, her 4-year-old son, was diagnosed with brain cancer at the be-ginning of August, ac-cording to Erin Long, Inter-Club Council ad-viser and senior admin-istrative assistant.

She described Max as a lively kid who has lots of friends and loves to play outside.

When administration found out about his con-dition, they realized the importance of DiPadova needing time to spend with her son. As a result, they began trying to do-nate a large amount of sick leave time to her.

During the process however, classified staff members were told that they couldn’t donate sick leave time to her because of a board policy regard-ing catastrophic leave.

kcorbett5@saddleback.edu

Latest effort for faculty and staff to donate sick leave time to mother of ailing child approved. Super Max Benefit set tonight with a goal of adding additional funds to young-ster’s battle against his diagnosis. Organizers cheered.

r e c a p Faculty and staff now have anoth-er way to help a four-year-old boy in his on-go-

ing fight against brain cancer.Since last summer, Sad-

dleback College staff and students have assisted the Director of Student Develop-ment, Audra DiPadova, and her sick son Max, by staging a variety of fundraisers.

Carmenmara Hernandez Bravo, a Spanish instructor, also came up with the idea of donating sick leave days to DiPadova for her to be with Max.

But it required an act of Congress, in other words, district approval.

On Nov. 7, Debra Fitzsi-mons, vice chancellor of business services for the South Orange County Com-munity College District, after two months of discus-sion, said that it would be okay to do so.

Erin Long, a colleague of DiPadova’s, believes that the policy change was an important process because it creates a community atmo-sphere within the district.

“Anyone in this circum-stance who needs to be with a sick family member,

but also needs to provide for their family would be incredibly grateful for the gift of a col-league’s sick time,” Long said. “I know that Audra has, onnumerous occasions, been complete-ly hum-

b l e d by the out-pouring of support from ev-eryone across the campus.”

DiPadova pondered her son’s diagnosis.

“What are the chances that your child will be one of 3,000 kids di-agnosed with brain cancer each year in the U.S.?” DiPadova asked her-self.

DiPadova described this experience as beyond chal-lenging...and earth shatter-ing. With all of the support they’ve received however, she believes her family is incredibly fortunate.

Max’s prognosis is a good one, DiPadova said.

“It’s our community that’s made Max’s treatment pos-sible,” DiPadova said. “I don’t know where we’d be

without the excellent health benefits, donations of time and resources, gifts of food, and outpouring of love and life-sustaining support.”

Student Development will be hosting the “Super Max Benefit Showcase” today in honor of Max.

The showcase will in-clude performances from the Saddleback community, “ranging from dance groups to singers to improv groups and everything in between,” according to its event de-scription.

Other people outside of DiPadova’s familly have

been affected by the news of Max’s prognosis.

Former Associated Stu-dent Government President, Melissa Fenerci, said that she had no idea how to help when she found out about Max’s condition, until she learned of this event.

“I personally feel happy to be able to pay forward all of the nice things that Audra has done for me and for peo-ple I love and care about,” Fenerci said.

“Audra specifically has helped change my life and has contributed tremendous efforts to my personal devel-

opment, as well as the per-sonal development of many ASG members from 2008-2011 thus far,” she said.

DiPadova said that there are no sufficient words to capture her family’s grati-tude.

“We really see how it takes a community to save a child’s life,” she said.

“We’re completely hum-bled by how the Saddleback community, including some people we’ve never met, have so significantly con-tributed to Max’s recovery.”

The event is to-night from 6 to 9 p.m. in SSC 212.

Tickets for the Showcase will be $5.00 per person; any and all mem-bers of the commu-nity are invited.

The Office of Stu-dent Development encourages you to bring both your friends and family.

Food will be served at the event for a suggested do-nation price.

Opportunity draw-ings will also take place, in addition to a jewlery sale.

Information compiled by Kylie Corbett

photo by alyssa hunter/lariat

CLUB SUPPORT: The Psychology Club and Psi Beta Honor Club helped at the tailgating event before homecoming to raise awareness.

Details on tonight’s fundraiser