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The Cristian Rivera Foundation (CRF), headquartered in the heart of Manhattan on West 37th street, is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization based in New York. The primary purpose of this organization is to spread awareness of the existence of a rare form of cancer, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). At present, there is no cure for DIPG. This brain tumor tends to strike four to ten year olds with approximately half of these children passing away within the first year and then eighty to ninety percent of children the year after. The Cristian Rivera Foundation strives to find a cure through fundraising to support research.

Early History of the Cristian Rivera Foundation
The Cristian Rivera Foundation was created by John “Gungie” Rivera in July 2009 shortly after he lost his son to diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). On January 22nd 2007, Cristian Alexander Rivera, son of John “Gungie” Rivera and Jenelle Asencio, was diagnosed with DIPG at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital. Within the next two years, after periods of intense suffering, Cristian Rivera passed away on January 25, 2009. At his time of passage, there was and still is no cure for DIPG. The end of Cristian Rivera’s life sparked the beginning of John “Gungie” Rivera’s journey to find a cure for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

Founder
John “Gungie” Rivera, father of Cristian Rivera, started out in the music and nightlife industry ″working his way up to promote concerts with Ralph Mercado. Rivera went on to own Sony Discos and record label Prestigio Recordings. He is currently the President of Prestigio Recordings and the Cristian Rivera Foundation. In 2011, Rivera launched the opening of a Latin inspired restaurant, Babalu, which donates twenty percent of its revenue to the Cristian Rivera Foundation.

John Rivera’s words on the day of his son’s passage:

Cristian Rivera born 9/13/02 and passed away in the loving arms of Mommy and Daddy at around 6am today. Cristian's blood pressure dropped so much, his fever was so high and his heart gave up. Cristian brought so much Joy to my life and so many others. Cristian is the Bravest Boy I have ever met. Cristian never let the Cancer get the best of him as Cristian remained so happy and positive. I am so very blessed and fortunate to have had Cristian in my Life and look forward to joining him in eternal life some day, but until then, Cristian "Mr. Bossy" Rivera will be in heaven playing with his trains and bossing the Angels around. Heaven is in for a treat. Heaven will meet the GREATEST BOY.

Funding
All donations raised by the Cristian Rivera Foundation are used to fund Dr. Mark Souweidane’s research on pontine glioma. Dr. Mark Souweidane is currently half way through an innovative clinical trial that not only tests a new treatment delivery system but also incorporates surgery into DIPG treatment for the first time.

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Education
The Cristian Rivera Foundation has taken it upon itself to educate the public about DIPG by hosting public events such as galas every year. Each month, the Cristian Rivera Foundation publishes a newsletter detailing the strides they have taken and breakthroughs they have found in their attempt to find a cure for DIPG. Their website also pools current research and findings on DIPG; included on this site is a section reserved to honor children lost to this form of cancer.

Fundraising Events
The Cristian Rivera Foundation hosts an annual gala to memorialize child victims of DIPG, inform the public what pontine glioma is, and raise contributions to fund research to find a cure for DIPG. The third annual foundation gala was held at the Copacabana Supper Club hosted by stars like Kenan Thompson and award-winning actor Luiz Guzmán with a live performance by Brenda K Starr and also featured live and silent auctions. On August 17, 2011, the Cristian Rivera Foundation organized a walk-a-thon at the Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx to help raise funds. The Cristian Rivera Foundation held a salsa fundraised at Latin Quarter hosted by La Mega 97.9 FM’s JI Starr; guests were entertained by Committee Member Jose Alberto “El Canario” and his Orchestra and DJ’s Wreck and Norty Coto of La Mega 97.9FM. They also organized a mini fundraiser that was held at the Latin Kitchen which was sponsored by Robert Vazquez and DJ Lucho. On March 22, 2012, The Roberto Clemente story hosted a fundraising charity event for the Cristian Rivera Foundation which raised $10,000 on December 8, 2012. The Cristian Rivera Foundation raised $55,000 at an event at the Zylo Tuscan Steak House in Hoboken on June 13, 2012. They also rose over $7,500 at the 4th annual “Moms for Mikey” event which was held at The Woodway Club in Darien, Connecticut. The Cristian Rivera Foundation hosted their first annual paintball tournament in Long Island City on December 3; eleven teams raised more than $4,000.

Milestones
In 2012, Dr. Mark Souweidane, the Director of the Pediatric Brain and Spine Center at Weill Cornell University officially launched a pioneering clinical trial that has found a way to operate on a tumor that had, until now, been considered inoperable.

Dr. Mark Souweidane can be noted as saying:

Finally, after years of preclinical testing, [my colleagues and I have designed a treatment option for children with DIPG that uses convection-enhanced delivery (CED) and a tumor specific agent called a monoclonal antibody. The drug delivery method CED bypasses the blood-brain barrier…separating the blood and the brain…thus delivering drugs directly to the tumor.

Dr. Oren Becher, a pediatric neuro-oncologist and winner of the best basic science presentation award for his genetically engineered mouse model of brainstem glioma by the International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (ISPNO), is currently developing genetic models of DIPG to better understand the function of genetic alterations in DIPG formation, more specifically, the genetic alterations that are necessary to inhibit through therapy. Dr. Becher used donated tumor tissue from Cristian Rivera and was able to find a common genetic driver that he used to develop the DIPG mouse model. This model is useful in the understanding of and in undertaking study of both the biology of DIPG and to evaluate the effectiveness of new cander drugs.

Cristian Rivera Foundation in Popular Culture
The Cristian Rivera Foundation has generously received positive feedback from celebrities like Kenan Thompson and Luis Guzman who are now committee members. Real Housewife of New Jersey star Danielle Staub sported the Cristian Rivera Foundation bracelet while singer Marc Anthony can be seen wearing the original CRF band. The Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel proudly supports the Cristian Rivera Foundation. In addition, celebrity chefs such as Alex Garcia and Ricardo Cardona donate food for their galas. The Cristian Rivera Foundation was featured during the Latin Mixx Conference (LMC) Awards Ceremony and the Latin Mix Awards 2011 at the Times Square Center. Miss Mecklenburg Outstanding Teen, Payton Walker, has also decided to support CRF by choosing to make her platform on raising awareness of DIPG.

Financial Information
Since October of 2010, the Cristian Rivera Foundation has raised over $200,000 in contributions to fund research in pontine glioma. This organization is completely run by volunteers with no paid employees.