Event will benefit Conner Ewing, 6.
by Diane Reed
The Orange County Register - Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Conner Ewing, 6, should be enjoying the first grade this year.
Instead, the Anaheim Hills boy is battling cancer.
Stricken by neuroblastoma, a virulent form of pediatric cancer, Conner, the son of Bill and Suzie Ewing, is not alone in his fight for survival.
City Councilman Harry Sidhu and his wife Gin will open their historic Anaheim Hills home at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, for a benefit auction to help raise funds for the Crescent Primary School student's treatments.
The Sidhu's four-acre estate was once owned by Bernardo Yorba.
"We are having a fiesta type of dinner at our home and a wonderful auction," Gin Sidhu said. "We want to get the word out and invite everyone."
Admission, which includes a catered dinner, is $50 per person.
"Conner and my son go to the same school," Sidhu said.
An auction featuring donated items will provide additional fun and revenue during the evening.
The fundraiser is being coordinated by Madeleine Arevalos, Michele Gabbard, Jody O'Donnell and Gin Sidhu.
They were so touched by Connor's diagnosis that they decided that holding a fundraiser was a good way to bring our community together in support of the Ewings, and to generate financial help for the family."
Proceeds will go toward the little boy's medical needs.
"Connor made it home on Sept. 18, after completing his fifth round of chemotherapy," Suzie Ewing said. "He's doing very well and spending lots of time with his little sister Delanney who was born in August."
CHOC has provided the family with IV fluids and medications to help him recover at home until a decision can be made regarding surgery.
According to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, neuroblastoma is the most common tumor in infants. In this form of cancer, tumors originate in the neural crest cells of the sympathetic nervous system, (which runs from the base of the neck to the tailbone.)
Tumors are most commonly found near the adrenal glands.
One in every 100,000 U.S. children develops neuroblastoma every year. The disease accounts for 50 percent of all malignancies encountered in infants.
For tickets to the fundraiser, call Michelle Gabbard at 714-282-7252.
Checks can be made out to the Conner Ewing Fund, 1261 N. Lakeview Ave., Suite J, Anaheim, CA 92807.