The Desi Geestman Foundation

“Touching the Lives of Children with Cancer”

Our Mission
The Mission of the Desi Geestman Foundation is to improve the quality of life for
children suffering from cancer and their families. The foundation provides
environments of support that alleviate emotional and economic trauma.

Who We Are
DGF is named in honor of Desi Geestman, a brave twelve year old girl who fought a
courageous battle with Neuroblastoma at The City of Hope. Desi expressed her wish
to help other cancer patients and their families which is how DGF came to life. DGF
has grown from a wish by our namesake to an organization providing vital assistance to
hundreds of children since 1999.

How We’re Different

Our assistance is unique from other charities and takes many forms, from direct
financial assistance, to hosting birthday parties and special events, to granting special
wishes. Our aim is to throw a life jacket to cancer patients and their families, whether
the need be groceries, medications not covered by insurance or bone marrow donor
transportation.

Your support provides the following:

Emotional and Financial Support
Temporary Housing
Medical Expenses
Medications not covered by insur-
ance
Transportation Expenses
Emergency Living Assistance
Grocery Purchases
Funeral Expenses
Dental
Educational Support and Tutoring
Special Wishes
Birthday Parties
Special Events
Thanks to our sponsors and donations, we are beginning to expand services to other
Children’s Hospitals.

$810.78 Cobra Insurance Payment for single father not able to work (Sergio, 13 yr old from Santa Paula)

$100.00 Cafeteria Meal tickets, $100.00 Grocery cards, $75 Gas cards –Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Patient has 5
siblings at home. Father is taking family leave, mother also taking time off to care for other children. (Miranda, 5 yr.
old from Carlsbad)

$1,018.80 total for various medical and transportation expenses - Patient was re-admitted for disease and
complications with BMT. Patient has to delay going home and mother is unable to return to work. Family is from
Central California area and is experiencing significant financial strain. (Andrew, 2 ½ yr. old from Tulare)

$828.40 Mortgage payment – Patient was discharged from a long hospital stay due to BMT. Mother missed a lot of
work with unpaid leave. Single mother with 3 young children - Mother is at risk of getting car re-possessed due to
overdue payments. (Nicole, 2 ½ yr. old from Corona)

$500.00 Medications not covered by insurance (Jordyn, 8 yr. old from Riverview, Michigan) Detroit Children’s
Hospital

Disneyland Birthday Wish including $100.00 for parking and expenses. (Tamia, 4 yr. old from Pasadena)

$240.50 Tuition payment – Patient has Hodgkin Disease and continues to follow up at COH. She is a student at El
Camino College and needs assistance with her tuition. (Dania, 19 yr. old from Bellflower)

TESTIMONIALS

Dear Friends,

I wish "Thank You" could express our gratitude for your overwhelming generosity. Though this is our family's darkest
times, it is with the help of others like yourselves that we are able to go on a little bit easier. Ashley is a strong &
amazing little girl. With all of the love and prayers that she is receiving from her "extended" family, we know that her
smiling face will once again light up the room.

Thank you,

Ashley's Family

Dear Friends at DGF,

I am writing to thank you for your generous financial assistance that you sent us for Addison. It will be most helpful
to us and our appreciation is immense. Our daughter was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) on
June 3, 2008. It was a devastating diagnosis for us, as I am certain it is for all families who receive such news. Addi-
son has made it through these past few months very smoothly. We consider ourselves very fortunate, considering the
many complications and setbacks that can occur. Through this experience we have become very aware of what many
families suffer with and through when cancer is the diagnosis. So, from the bottom of our hearts we thank you for the
work that you do and for thinking of us!

Sincerely,
Dan, Erin and Addison
 Two Families brought together from a wish...

Angelo Vitale – Not only was he my little brother, but he was the most kind and courageous little boy I’ve ever
known. Angelo was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma at the age of 10. He battled cancer for three years enduring
the pain and suffering from his illness. He received chemo therapy and radiation, but it still was not enough. His
doctor told my parents that if he was to get his leg amputated, that he would have a better chance to live a full
life. Once more, the cancer was stronger than my little brother. I remember him saying to our mom that when he
got better, he was going to help other children who were suffering as he was. Angelo never got that chance, after
he passed away in 1989 at the age of 13, it became our family’s passion to carry out his dream to help other
children. 2009 marks the 20th Anniversary of the death of Angelo.

Almost exactly one decade later, a little girl named Desi Geestman was diagnosed with Neurolastoma at the age of
10. As she sat in the hospital she saw the pain, loneliness and desperation of so many other children and
families. She and her mother, Ileana would listen to the cries at night of the other children in the hospital. Desi
would talk to her mother about how, when she was well, she wanted to help them. Desi, lost her battle with cancer
at the age of 13 in 1999. Her mother, Ileana Geestman, in honor of her daughter’s wishes to help other children
with illness formed the Desi Geestman Foundation at City of Hope Hospital. The Foundation mission is to make a
difference in the lives of children suffering from cancer to ensure they receive the compassionate care they
deserve. 2009 marks the 10th Anniversary of the death of Desi.

In 2004, my cousin Joanne, who is a hairstylist on the set of General Hospital, told my mom about a wonderful event
she attended in California called Evening with the Stars, which benefited the Desi Geestman Foundation. That is
when my mom decided that she was going to really do something special to help children suffering from cancer. She
contacted Ileana to tell her about an event she wanted to have in Michigan. As they began to share their stories
about their children, the two mothers were struck by the similarities of their stories. Despite the geographic
distances, both of their children were treated by Dr. Miser. Angelo was treated at the Mayo Clinic in
Minnesota. Ten years later, Dr. Miser moved to City of Hope Hospital in California and was the same doctor who
treated Desi. Angelo died the day before my 16th birthday, Desi died the day before her brother’s 16th
Birthday. Both Children were diagnosed at the age of 10 and passed away at the age of 13. Angelo was born in May
1976; Desi was born in May 1986. Both mothers believe they were brought together by fate and the purpose of
carrying on the wishes of their children to help other families living with cancer.

Although Angelo and Desi never met, not here anyway – I believe somehow they had a hand in all of this!!

As a child, it was very hard for me to watch my parents struggle, emotionally and financially, I only wish they had a
foundation like the DGF to reach out to for support.

Since I’ve become involved with the foundation, we have held 3 events in Michigan, “Touched by a Star” Charity
Gala in honor of the Desi Geestman Foundation and with the help of many actors from General Hospital, One Life
to Live, Bold and the Beautiful and Days of our Lives, we have raised over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars for
the Foundation. As well as 4 events in Hollywood, CA, “Evening with the Stars.”

In attendance, some of the biggest names in daytime television: Rick Hearst, Steve Burton, Greg Vaughn, Ted King,
Cynthia Preston, Derk Cheetwood, Drew Cheetwood, Tyler Christopher, Natalia Livingston and many more.

It is the hopes and dreams of our foundation to build centers for children and their families to be able to come to
and spend time with each other doing crafts, projects and fun things that kids love to do.

L ina Vitale
Each year the DGF hosts two events in Los Angeles and
Michigan joined by some of the biggest names in Daytime
Television.

“In past years these red carpet events raise tens of

thousands of dollars to help the Desi Geestman Foundation.
Evening with the Stars and Touched by a Star” are our
biggest fundraisers of the year, and raising funds at these
events is crucial to the foundation as the climate of the
economy has impacted the foundation as well as the families
caring for a child with a life threatening disease”, said Ileana
Geestman, founder of the Desi Geestman Foundation.

After the founding of the DGF in 1999, the cast and crew from
daytime television shows quickly enlisted to help raise funds
and awareness of pediatric cancer and the impact the
disease has on the entire family.
To All Our Helping Hands,
It seems like only yesterday, I held an angel in my arms. Ten years have passed and Desi's vision is
now a reality. Desi's dream of someday helping those who fall between the cracks, are suffering and
lonely, has taken a life of it's own.
I'd like to share Desi's dramatic and heart warming story with you; but first I would like you to
know how important support can be. The only way our family was able to survive this whole ordeal
was because of prayers, dinners, and assistance from caring individuals. This is going to be a very
hard read; but sometimes out of tragedy comes something good.
Picture yourself with a wonderful and healthy family six; no complaints. Then in 1997, your ten year
old has the flu accompanied by stomach pain. She's an athlete, probably just a virus and a side ache
from too much activity, but it persists and pretty soon life as you know it is turned up-side-
down. After numerous tests the doctors have a diagnosis - cancer. Your whole family is in a state of
unmitigated shock and disbelief; Cancer is the worst word in the dictionary.
For our family, reality set in very quickly as Desi climbed on board the fast paced roller coaster ride
through the cancer journey. Surgery, two years of aggressive chemotherapy, radiation, a bone
marrow transplant, hundreds of transfusions - the worst nightmare any parent can imagine. And
finally, two years later, a very sick child with not much left but hope. As Desi traveled through her
cancer journey she shared with me her deepest wish; that we help other children and families going
through the same ordeal.
Desi's love of life, faith and devotion to her friends and family kept her going. That same devotion
motivates the volunteers of the Desi Geestman Foundation in assisting the families at the City of
Hope and other Pediatric Cancer Centers. This is what the Desi Geestman Foundation is
about. We're here to help these families through this horrible ordeal; so they won't have to face it
alone. With a dedicated volunteer staff and minimal operating costs, we are able to provide services
to children suffering from cancer that are not duplicated by any other organization.
I feel honored to be a part of the Foundation and am committed to serving the needs of these
families. As Desi's mother, I lived through the cancer journey and learned first hand what these
families go through. Each time I set foot at the City of Hope, I meet many angels that are dedicating
their lives to finding a cure and making a difference in these children's lives. I can honestly say that
the Foundation has grown quickly and is making a difference, but there is a constant flow of
emergency requests and growing number of patients. Being able to say, "Yes" to a family is one of
the most rewarding aspects of being a volunteer. The look of relief and appreciation in the child's
eyes or on a parents' face is indescribable.
On behalf of the families the Foundation serves, thank you for touching the lives of children with
cancer.

Yours in service,
Ileana Geestman
Founder
 The Desi Geestman Foundation

Main Office
2708 Foothill Boulevard, Suite 133
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Phone: 818-249-115 / 888-29-4DESI
Fax: 818-249-1003

18157 Mulberry, Riverview, MI 48193

Phone: 734-341-3169 Michigan
email: lvitale@desigeestmanfoundation.org
web: www.desigesstmanfoundation.org
www.touchedbyastar.org

Desi Geestman Foundation

A non-profit organization 501(c)3
#95-4728343

© 2006 The Desi Geestman Foundation. All rights reserved