The turnout read like a who’s-who of support: actors Kenan Thompson, Luis Guzmán, and Malik Yoba; NBC anchor Darlene Rodriguez; boxing champion Edgar Berlanga; MLB players Gio Urshela and Harrison Bader; and music mogul John “Jellybean” Benitez, among others.
The venue pulsed with patterned light, chatter, and purpose. Guests arrived at around 6:30 p.m.; a cocktail hour with an open bar followed the red-carpet reception, giving way to a charitable mission disguised as a glamorous night out.
Inside the main dining room I was seated at one of the tables shared with leading researchers and clinicians, including Mark Souweidane of Weill Cornell Medical Center. He described a breakthrough that had room to breathe: “To use the word ‘survivor’ is unprecedented in DIPG,” he said. “To witness three of these children with survivals all greater than five years and up to 13 years is a remarkable milepost worthy of a new and ambitious clinical trial effort.”
That statement carries weight. Historically, median overall survival for DIPG hovers between 8 to 15 months. Very few children lived beyond two years. Surviving five or more years, as Dr. Souweidane’s trial documented, opens a fresh chapter. He explained how the trial has evolved: “We have been very encouraged by our past work. The first adjustment we have made is to use repeated treatments and tailor these treatments to target as much of the tumor as possible.” He also warned about structural barriers. “Access for most families is not possible. This trial, because of the cost, the limited number of enrollment slots, and its availability at one site, makes it improbable that most children will have an opportunity to enroll.”
When I asked how he communicates with families facing this diagnosis, his candor was stark: “I approach them with honesty, always. These families already know the stakes and the horrible odds their child is facing. I never sugarcoat.” Yet he added: “They are also made aware that, given our track record, they have every reason to hope.”
The gala’s live auction clinked in the background as host committee members rose for remarks. Later the formal dinner concluded and the dance floor opened. I watched board members, parents, researchers, and surprise celebrities move to music, bridging celebration with commitment.
John “Gungie” Rivera, founder of the foundation and father of the late Cristian Rivera, stepped up for his speech. He framed the evening with personal urgency: “When we started in 2009, DIPG had a zero-percent survival rate. Today … we’ve seen multiple long-term survivors, children living five, ten, even thirteen years beyond diagnosis. That word, ‘survivor,’ was once unimaginable in this disease.” He told the crowd that every successful trial and every child responding well is a piece of his son’s ongoing legacy. “When I see those children smile, I see Cristian in all of them.”
Rivera described the gala’s role as more than a fundraiser. “Hope multiplies when shared … It’s a coalition of compassion,” he said. He credited the celebrity board with amplifying the mission beyond the ballroom. And he reminded guests of something less seen: “Numbers can’t measure the courage of these kids or the heartbreak of their families … Behind every data point is a story, a previous child who laughed, dreamed, and loved deeply.”
The backdrop, DIPG, a diffuse midline glioma of the brainstem, remains almost universally fatal. Biopsy and surgical removal are constrained by location; survival past two years remains rare. The foundation’s mission is threefold: fund research, raise awareness, and support families through the crisis.
At the gala I watched families who live with the diagnosis now part of the fold: survivors, their siblings, and parents mingling with doctors and donors. Their presence reinforced the stakes.
Dr. Souweidane spoke about what comes next: “My biggest hope is that the trial gets submitted to regulatory, gets approved, gets activated, and we once again begin treating children with DIPG.” The call for urgency was clear: “If the first doesn’t work, we should have no less than half a dozen in the pipeline. These drugs need to be on the shelf and ready to be tested."
The live auction raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Weill Cornell, and Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital, while silent auctions and donations padded the foundation’s operational and family-support budget. Cocktails, dinner, and dancing created an atmosphere where fundraising felt natural.
But the night’s pulse returned to child-research-hope metrics. Three children live five to thirteen years post-trial; three responses equal a new benchmark in DIPG care when standard survival is under 18 months.
By the end of the night guests descended the steps into the cold of Wall Street colder than the dance floor’s heat but warmed by purpose. I left thinking, “This isn’t a gala for name-dropping.” It’s a gathering of people refusing to let despair define what happens to children diagnosed with DIPG. As Dr. Souweidane said, the goal is no longer just to treat, but to make survival possible and consistent.
To learn more about the Cristian Rivera Foundation or support DIPG research, visit cristianriverafoundation.org.
