January has always been a difficult month for me. Cristian was diagnosed in January, on the 21st or 22nd of 2007, and Cristian passed away on January 25th, 2009. Plus there have been other personal traumatic events that occurred in January over the years, but already January 2012 is looking to be different. Yesterday, January 17, we held the private opening of Babalu and the night went really well. I felt Cristian there with me and I know that he had something to do with our success that night. It’s just one of the many ways Cristian continues to bless me and let me know he’s still looking out for me from Heaven. I hope that he is as proud as I am of all the changes we’ve made recently at the Cristian Rivera Foundation. We’ve revamped our website and added new tabs, informative medical content and lots of news from the DIPG community. The Cristian Rivera Foundation website is going to be a destination for all DIPG families looking for information and support. I’m so excited by the possibilities that come with being a trusted resource for the community, and I’m looking forward to this year because something tells me 2012 is going to be a year of progress. We’re going to take a big step toward a cure this year; a bigger step than we’ve ever taken before. I feel confident now that we will see a cure for DIPG in my lifetime.

John “Gungie” Rivera
Forever Cristian’s Daddy