News Releases
Teen Boys With Cancer To Catch Fleet Week
“Guys Day on the Bay” gives up close look at Blue Angels
For Release: October 07, 2009
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- This Friday (9), a group of teen boys who have been receiving care at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, along with their family and friends, will have the thrill of a lifetime. They will be guests of the US Coast Guard aboard the Coast Guard Cutter George Cobb and have the best seats in the house (or bay). From this super-close and maybe a tad ear-splitting perspective, these excited youth will watch the U.S. Navy’s famed Blue Angels perform their high-performance, aerial ballet above them at San Francisco’s annual Fleet Week.This “Guys Day on the Bay” is the product of an extraordinary and life-affirming program called CHEERS. The CHEERS program allows these teens, all at various stages of illness, to meet, have fun and forge important new friendships. Thanks to the 19 for Life Foundation, which was created to honor the life and gifts of the late DJ Frandsen, the group will start the day by riding in a white Hummer limo from Packard Children’s to San Francisco. They will then board the 225-foot ship, one of the most advanced vessels afloat, and tour the latest technological developments in computers, navigation, environmental protection, and remote monitoring systems. After lunch, the George Cobb will take the guys out on San Francisco Bay, with the Blue Angels streaking over the Golden Gate Bridge and performing acrobatics at over 700 miles per hour.
“It’ll be wild, it’ll be fun, and these guys can’t wait,” said Jacob Lore, Child Life Specialist, who expressed thanks to Lieutenant Commander John Schallau, a reservist with the US Coast Guard who helped make the event happen. “And yes, we adults are looking forward to it, too.”
About Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
Ranked as one of the nation's best pediatric hospitals by U.S.News & World Report, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford is a 312-bed hospital devoted to the care of children and expectant mothers. Providing pediatric and obstetric medical and surgical services and associated with the Stanford University School of Medicine, Packard Children's offers patients locally, regionally and nationally the full range of health care programs and services, from preventive and routine care to the diagnosis and treatment of serious illness and injury. For more information, visit www.lpch.org.
About CHEERS
CHEERS stands for Children Having Exceptional Educational and Recreational Support, and was organized in 1986 by two Stanford students. The highly successful program is coordinated by the Child Life and Recreation Therapy team at Packard Children’s.
About USCG
The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the Department of Homeland Security dedicated to protecting the safety and security of America.
Media Contact
Todd Kleinheinztkleinheinz@lpch.org
(650) 725-9666