Finding Help From Friends

Margarita and Luis Fernando Ayon (married 17 years) are the parents of three — Luis, Paula, and Daniela. When the younger Luis was eight-and-a-half, he was diagnosed with leukemia for the first time. The family was devastated, but Luis did go into remission. The family routine returned to normal.

In 2005, the youngest Ayon child, Daniela, was being treated for hemophilia. With medical bills accumulating, the family’s finances suffered, and the bank foreclosed on their home in Tijuana. Knowing that Daniela would soon need heart surgery, they decided to move to San Diego.

They arrived in Chula Vista in late 2005, and soon learned that Luis’ leukemia had relapsed. Then in March 2006, during Daniela’s heart surgery, doctors discovered that Daniela, too, had leukemia. Margarita was beyond distraught.

Luis, who just had his 16th birthday, and Daniela, ten, are both in treatment at Children’s Hospital. He keeps a positive attitude, never complains, and tries to help his little sister cope with the pain of treatment. "I tell her not to think about it, just take a deep breath and put yourself in another place." Margarita says that Daniela, a talkative girl who loves to sing and dance, has become more shy since her illness.

Having two children in treatment is a full-time job for Margarita, so she is unable to earn any income cleaning houses. Her husband’s work as a truck driver has been slow, too, and the family’s financial burdens are severe. Their car has broken down and been towed; their landlord has given them an eviction notice.

Enter Carmen Delgadillo of the Friends of Scott Foundation (FSF). "If it weren’t for Carmen, I don’t know where we would be," says Margarita.

Carmen’s own son, Scott, lost his life to cancer in 2001 at age 14. Scott was a dynamic young man with a transcendental smile, who inspired countless people in his short life. He was an ambitious student, and dreamed of going to college at Notre Dame. Though he didn’t live long enough for that to happen, Scott did have the opportunity to attend a Notre Dame football game months before he passed away, where he spoke in front of thousands of students at a pep rally.

Scott’s closest friends visited him in the hospital every day until the very end, then set out to create a foundation in Scott’s name. "One of the girls said to me, ’Let’s start a cool foundation,’" recalls Carmen. Together, they created the Friends of Scott Foundation — providing support for families of children with cancer.

Now, five years later, FSF has grown tremendously. Carmen and FSF’s many volunteers organize an astounding scope of activities and support systems for these families: weekly home-cooked meals at the Ronald McDonald House, social gatherings and arts and crafts for the mothers, movie outings, a Del Mar racetrack outing for 165 people, a full-fledged prom for the teens (upcoming in March at the Sheraton), clothing drives, scholarships for survivors, the list goes on. "It’s like a support group without being a support group," says Carmen. She understands how much the children and their families benefit from getting away from the hospital and talking to each other about things other than treatment.

Carmen herself cooks the weekly meals, drives people who need rides to the hospital, and when needed, finds financial assistance such as grocery vouchers, gas cards, and assistance on utility bills. All of this is on top of Carmen’s full-time career at Cox Communications, where she has worked for 22 years. One can’t help but compare Carmen’s energy with Scott’s legendary spark.

Margarita says that "dealing with Carmen is always a positive interaction. She never makes me feel any less, she always gives a quick response, and has been a strong support system for us."

The Ayon family is trying to get an extension on their eviction, or find a new place to live. In the meantime, they do their best to keep their routine as normal as possible. Luis and Daniela are home-schooled (by a school district tutor), but their sister, Paula, is in school and learning English quickly. Margarita says that Paula has become very mature, responsible, and supportive. "With two children sick, it is worse than anything you can imagine," says Margarita. "Sometimes I feel like I can’t go on, but I’m always able to turn to Carmen who can always lift me up and pull me out of that feeling." — JJ Hall, photography by Vincent Knakal

Overall Mission: Friends of Scott Foundation (FSF) is committed to helping children with cancer and their families, ensuring they receive the emotional and financial support needed to cope with this devastating disease. FSF also strives to bring childhood cancer awareness to the community.

Current Funding Objectives: Currently, three main volunteers handle all the administrative duties and efforts in the area of community outreach, so a main goal is to bring on a paid staff to assist in these areas so that families will receive the needed assistance during the daytime rather than waiting until the late afternoon and evening. Another funding objective is to raise money for meal programs, which consist of a weekly dinner and brown bag lunches, as well as books for the reading program and emergency financial assistance.

Donation Administration Cost Ratio: Currently 50 percent of funds raised are used to provide family assistance, social outreach, and all program activities; 45 percent is used to provide emergency financial assistance; 5 percent is used for overhead costs (no paid staff or directors).

Organization’s Biggest Challenge: Over the past five years of serving families in the San Diego region, FSF still has not reached 50 percent of the families needing assistance. FSF’s biggest challenge is raising the necessary funds to adequately fund and maintain all programs and services needed by its children and their families. Another challenge is raising public awareness of childhood cancer.

Contact Information: 619/223-7268, www.friendsofscott.org