Birmingham High School Junior Fred Scarf will be attending the prom this year, but without his best friend Shiri Gumbiner. They had plans to go together, but Shiri died in 2005 after a long battle with Osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer that affects fewer than 1,000 children per year.
To honor Shiri’s memory, 17-year-old Scarf is organizing “A Night in Hollywood” on Friday, May 25 from 7-10 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood. The special night is exclusively for local teens with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses that may not have the opportunity to attend their own proms.
“Prom is a night that everyone looks forward to and remembers,” says Scarf, founder of the Shiri Foundation (www.Shiri.org.) a non-profit organization that raises awareness of Osteosarcoma, which is the cancer that killed his best friend Shiri. “Every student should have the chance to go to a prom, despite his or her health condition.”
Scarf reached out to many organizations to find potential attendees. As a result, about 20 teens from WeSpark, Make-A-Wish, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, UCLA, City of Hope, Northridge Hospital, St. Joseph in Burbank and area Ronald McDonald Houses will share a night they will never forget.
“I hope kids will develop friendships that will continue even after the prom,” says Scarf.
“Normally if you see a teen who is a cancer patient, you feel bad for them and kind of baby them. Even though I understood Shiri’s condition, I never treated her like a baby. I want other teens to look past the attendees’ conditions and develop authentic friendships. I want to give them the feeling of just being another kid.”
With the help of dozens of friends and volunteers, Scarf and his family solicited support from many local party experts. Wow! Special Events helped Scarf plan the prom and found other vendors to donate their services.
Other participating donors include SOS Entertainment, Christine Haws Photography, Hillcrest Rentals, Aah-Inspiring Balloons, Cinema Pros Videography, So Cal Arts Caricaturists, Joe Monti from the Magic Castle, and Feet First Entertainment to get the party started.
“Shiri withstood unbearable pain and the trauma associated with many surgeries and high dosage chemotherapy. She faced this horror with dignity, courage and grace that still mystifies us,” says Scarf. “Shiri would have loved the event we are creating.”
The prom is not Scarf’s only venture to raise awareness of Osteosarcoma. He started the Shiri Foundation with the hope of finding a cure for Osteosarcoma so that no other child or parent will ever have to endure the horror of this disease again. Money raised is being directed towards promising research projects.
The Shiri Foundation also educates individuals and communities about the disease, provides outreach to schools and discusses the seriousness of rare cancers. To learn more about the Shiri Foundation, please visit www.Shiri.org. |
