It’s June, and that means Summer is in full swing. Summer means more time to spend with friends and family, vacations, and relaxation. With Summer comes the promise of togetherness and unity among people. It is for that reason that, at CRF, these few warm months mean even more helping hands on our mission to find a cure for DIPG. We’ve kicked off the season by celebrating our Warrior, Jesselyn Silva, and all the wonderful things she has been doing with the foundation. Now, with events like the 5th Annual CRF Full steam Ahead 5K and the 6th Annual CRF Flashback Boat Ride coming up, it’s busy season here at the foundation. Nevertheless, we are so excited to be going into summer full steam ahead.
Our Warrior, Jesselyn, has been a busy girl since her introduction to CRF. From news features, to boxing matches, and meeting professional boxers Gervonta Davis and Edgar Berlanga, Jesselyn’s life has been anything but boring lately. Thanks to a lot of hard work from Darlene Rodriguez, who serves on our Board of Directors, there are many exciting moments for Jesselyn that we want to share with you.
On Wednesday, May 25th, our superstar, Jesselyn "JessZilla" Silva, met her favorite boxer, Gervonta Davis at the Showtime Boxing press event. Darlene Rodriguez arranged the meeting and also got Jesselyn tickets to his upcoming match. It was an emotional day for Jesselyn, as she was invited into the ring with Gervonta Davis where he signed her boxing belt, gave her words of encouragement, and posed with her in pictures. Jesselyn said it was "the most unforgettable day ever."
That following Saturday, on May 28th, Jesselyn had floor seats at the Gervonta Davis vs Rolando Romero match at the Barclays Center. Jesselyn made it to the big screen during the match when the audience camera focused in on her while she watched her favorite boxer fight in the ring. If Jesselyn was a betting girl, she would have won some money that night. She predicted that Gervonta Davis would knock out Rolando Romero in the 6th round, and she was right. During the match, she was also interviewed by Showtime Boxing, but the fun doesn’t stop there.
The excitement continued on Thursday, June 9th when Jesselyn was invited to a press conference for Top Rank, where she was awarded an honorary championship belt by the WBO. WBO-NABO Middleweight Champion, Edgar Berlanga, presented her the belt. Edgar mentioned Jesselyn’s “fight for her life” and encouraged fellow boxers to fight for her that weekend. We are also fighting for Jesselyn at CRF, and we are doing everything we can to help her beat this. To see Jesselyn receive her honorary championship belt at the Top Rank Press Conference, follow here
On Saturday, June 11th, Jesselyn joined Edgar Berlanga in his walk-out at Madison Square Garden to face off against Roamer Alexis Angulo. He was fighting to defend his title and in the end, was victorious in his mission. Darlene Rodriguez, once again, made this happen for our young boxing champ. Thank you to Top Rank, Edgar Berlanga, and Darlene Rodriguez for giving Jesselyn this opportunity.
On Tuesday, June 13th, Jesselyn was featured on the Today Show on NBC. Darlene Rodriguez shared the story of the young boxing champion alongside the other anchors of the show. In an interview, Jesselyn said, “Boxing is just something I fell in love with. It was love at first sight.” When talking about her diagnosis she said, “I’m just going to beat this up, like I do everything.” Thank you to Darlene, the Today Show, and NBC for giving Jesselyn the chance to tell her story, and for helping to raise awareness for this awful disease. To see Jesselyn’s feature on the Today Show, follow below.
Jesselyn was well on her way to becoming an Olympic boxer before her DIPG diagnosis derailed her life. At just 12 years old, she published a book titled, “My Corner of the Ring.” She has also been the subject of a documentary called “JessZilla,” since she was 10, and was even a brand ambassador for Everlast. CRF is determined to put Jesselyn’s train back on track so she can continue to move full steam ahead toward her dreams. At CRF, we love being able to give our Warriors positive experiences that they will never forget, and we are grateful to have the means to do so. CRF is hard at work raising funds to support Jesselyn and her family during this time, and we would love your help. To donate to Jesselyn, visit cristianriverafoundation.org/help-jesselyn/. Jesselyn, we love you 10. Let’s beat this.
Our 5th Annual CRF Full Steam Ahead 5K walk/run fundraiser will be happening TOMORROW, June 18th at Van Cortlandt Park. Please consider making a donation. This year’s 5K is dedicated in part to CRF’s newest Warrior, Jesselyn Silva. Jesselyn is an incredible teenager, who was well on her way to becoming an Olympic boxer before doctors told her she could no longer train due to her diagnosis. She is full of passion and drive for her sport and wants nothing more than to be able to get back in the ring. We will be walking to support Jesselyn, and kids just like her who are in need of a cure. If you are interested in participating, there is still time to register. To register as an in-person walker or a virtual walker, follow here.
Father’s Day is Sunday, June 19th. We hope all the wonderful, loving dads out there have an amazing Father’s Day full of love and hugs from their children. Our Founder, John Gungie Rivera is an especially outstanding dad, who gives his kids the world. Being a father is one of the greatest things in the world and we applaud all of you. We love you 10!
Our next upcoming event, the 6th Annual CRF Flashback Boat Ride, will be happening Saturday, July 16th, 2022. Tickets are almost sold out! This annual event is always such a blast and we always look forward to seeing each of you there. The night will be fun and full of excitement as the NYC skyline serves as a backdrop. We love this event because it is the perfect opportunity to raise money for DIPG research while also bringing the community together to celebrate the summer. We party hard and work even harder to find a cure for DIPG. We know that, together, we can find a cure and end DIPG once and for all. To join us on our voyage as we party for a cause, follow here.
The Cristian Rivera Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit Organization that works tirelessly in order to raise awareness and funds to one day put a STOP to this disease. The Cristian Rivera Foundation funds the work of Dr. Mark Souweidane of Weill Cornell Medical Center – Memorial Sloane (Kettering) Cancer Center and Dr. Oren Becher of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. Both doctors are conducting promising research and trials that have shown encouraging results. We are close to a cure, but we need your help.
The mission of the Cristian Rivera Foundation is to help find the cure for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an inoperable brain stem tumor, and to raise awareness and provide assistance to families affected by DIPG in order to build a world in which it no longer exists.
Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, or DIPG, is a rare inoperable brain stem tumor that predominantly affects children between the ages of 2 and 10. Only 200-300 cases are discovered in the United States each year and because there is no cure, its young victims only have an average of 3-18 months to live, after they’ve been diagnosed. There are no survivors, but the researchers we support are hard at work finding a cure.
Founder:
John “Gungie” Rivera
"Forever Cristian’s Daddy"
Board of Directors:
Darlene Rodriguez Carlos Yepez
Committee Members:
Aldo Marin, Carlos Colon, Fernando Ferrer,
Francesco Quattrone, Jarrad Seuferling,
Kenan Thompson, Luis Guzman,
Meiling Macias Toro,
Paul Pristavec, Rafael Toro, Steve Cox
and Vanessa Rodriguez
Honorary Committee Members:
The Late Anthony Mason
and The Late Miriam Colon.
Chairman of the Board:
Melinda Colon Cox
Executive Board Member:
Rena Kliot
Committee Friends:
Alberto Torres, Alex Garcia,
Maggie Meehan, Mark Rosner, Michael V. Narvaez and Samreen Malik
Supporters:
David Rodriguez, Edward Caban,
And Vito Bruno.
