Jillian and her mom and dad, Dr. Thomas Noh, Make-A-Wish Hawaii President and CEO Trini Kaopuiki Clark, and Spinal Elements' Gabe Gamboa and Ted Poser at the check presentation/birthday party.
Jillian enjoys the view from the Sheraton Waikiki Presidential Suite.
Jillian's close family includes mom, dad, a brother and sister who were all able to visit Disney World for Jillian's wish, thanks to Make-A-Wish Hawaii, Dr. Thomas Noh, Spinal Elements® Inc. and their Hero® Allograft Program.
Noh is the first Hawaii surgeon to partner with Spinal Elements’ Hero® Program which donates to charities benefiting children with serious medical conditions.
I was very excited that proceeds from Spinal Elements' Hero® Allograft Program could benefit a child here at home. As a neurosurgeon who was born and raised in Hawaii, that really means a lot to me.”
HONOLULU, HI, U.S.A., July 14, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Make-A-Wish Hawaii wish kid Jillian is a sweet, bright 10-year-old who was diagnosed with a blood vessel condition in 2014. Throughout the years of frightening medical tests, treatments and countless doctors’ visits, Jillian remained optimistic. Although the pandemic delayed her wish, she remained positive and looked forward to the day when her wish to go to Walt Disney World to eat a Mickey glitter doughnut and meet Mickey Mouse would come true. Last month, because of a generous partnership between Hawaii neurosurgeon Dr. Thomas Noh and Spinal Elements® Inc. and their Hero® Allograft Program (“Hero Program”), Jillian was finally able to have her wish fulfilled.— Thomas Noh, M.D., Neurosurgeon, Hawaii Pacific Health
“We are so grateful for the generous support of Dr. Noh and Spinal Elements to help grant Jillian’s wish,” said Trini Kaopuiki Clark, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Hawaii and one of Jillian’s wish granters. “Jillian’s sweet wish to eat a Mickey glitter doughnut at Disney World brought her the joy and strength she needed to envision brighter days ahead, and it warms our hearts to see that she had a wonderful time making new memories together with her family.”
“Thank you, Make-A-Wish Hawaii, Spinal Elements and Dr. Noh for making Jillian’s wish come true. Our ohana (family) is forever grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Janelle, Jillian’s mom.
When Dr. Noh and Spinal Elements President and CEO Jason Blain found out that Jillian’s 11th birthday is this month, they decided to treat her to a party in celebration of her birthday and her wish come true. This special event also allowed Dr. Noh and Spinal Elements to present the $10,000 donation to Make-A-Wish Hawaii. The event took place on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, at the newly renovated Sheraton Waikiki Presidential Suite, the ultimate in suite accommodations with million-dollar views of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach.
“We are proud to be a small part of Jillian’s wish. We appreciate our partnership with Dr. Noh that helps make events like this possible through our Hero Program,” said Jason Blain, President and CEO of Spinal Elements.
“When Spinal Elements shared information with me about the Hero Program, I was very excited that proceeds could benefit someone here at home,” added Dr. Noh. “As a neurosurgeon who was born and raised in Hawaii, that really means a lot to me, and I’m delighted that Jillian got her wish and hope other Hawaii keiki (children) will be able to benefit in the future, as well.”
ABOUT THOMAS NOH, M.D.
Dr. Thomas Noh is a Harvard Fellowship-trained Neurosurgeon at Hawaii Pacific Health and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Hawaii John A Burns School of Medicine (“JABSOM”) where he attended medical school. He is internationally recognized for developing minimally invasive image-guided surgical techniques, and made headlines for successfully using the Lucent 3D Lumbar Interbody System, a 3D-printed implant developed by Spinal Elements, in its first clinical cases in the world. His research lab, The Noh Lab, is currently focused on AR/MR surgical solutions for brain and spine surgery, advanced neuro-imaging techniques (fMRI, multi-tensor diffusion tensor imaging), laser interstitial thermal therapy, and brain tumor research. In his nearly 10 years of practice in complex cranial and spine surgery, Dr. Noh has received great acclaim from numerous well-respected publications and is frequently invited as a guest-lecturer around the country. He has authored and presented over 50 posters, book chapters, grand rounds, publications, and patents, and has also served as a reviewer for multiple journals including Neurosurgery, the Journal of Neurosurgery, the Global Spine Journal, the Journal of Neurological Sciences, Neuro-Oncology, and Frontiers in Oncology. Dr. Noh was also just honored by Pacific Business News as a member of its 40 Under 40 Class of 2022.
ABOUT SPINAL ELEMENTS
Spinal Elements is a technology-driven company headquartered in Carlsbad, California. A leading designer, developer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative medical devices used in spinal surgical procedures, Spinal Elements combines leading medical device technologies, biologics and instrumentation to create positive surgical outcomes that exceed surgeon and patient expectations. Spinal Elements has built a reputation delivering innovative and differentiated technologies that enable fundamental shifts in solutions for spine surgery. The company markets a complete portfolio of advanced spinal implant technologies. For more information, please visit www.spinalelements.com.
Spinal Elements launched its national Hero Program in 2012. Spinal Elements has chosen to honor tissue donation as a gift of life by paying that gift forward and donating proceeds from the sale of its Hero Allograft portfolio of products to charities benefiting children with serious medical conditions. Learn more about how the Hero Program has collaborated with surgeons and hospitals across the country by visiting www.heroallograft.com.
ABOUT MAKE A WISH HAWAII
Make-A-Wish Hawaii (MAWH) creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We seek to bring every eligible child’s wish to life, because a wish is an integral part of a child’s medical journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight their illness. Headquartered in Honolulu, MAWH is considered one of the top charities in the state, with every dollar raised in Hawaii staying in Hawaii to support local wishes. Our organization has been transforming lives, and uniting our Hawaii community in the process, for 40 years. One of the first local chapters established, MAWH continues to be among the busiest in the nation. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 400 volunteers have granted more than 1,500 wishes for local keiki across the state of Hawaii since 1982 and have hosted more than 17,000 others for children around the world for wishes to visit our islands. For more information about Make-A-Wish Hawaii, visit Hawaii.wish.org.
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