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Grateful Parents Create Teddy Bear Rescue Fund

July 12, 2002
Contact: Faye Ainsworth (415) 502-6198

The grateful parents of a pediatric patient have created the Glogau Teddy Bear Rescue Fund to provide toys, hotel vouchers and other amenities for needy children and their families at UCSF Children's Hospital. Dermatologist Dr. Richard Glogau, a clinical professor at UCSF, and Pam Baj, a nursing professor at San Francisco State University, established the fund to show their appreciation for the excellent care their son received.

Their son, born with severe orthopedic problems, underwent two surgeries, several casts and braces, and physical therapy. Today, the 12 year old is an avid baseball player and skier. In fact, Baj and her son meet with parents of children born with similar orthopedic conditions to share their experience and positive outcome. Baj said, "I am so grateful for the excellent care my son received. We had a fantastic experience."

While their son was hospitalized, Baj and Glogau met many families who traveled long distances for the specialized treatment provided at UCSF Children's Hospital. These families incurred expenses including parking fees, meals and hotel costs during prolonged hospitalizations of their children. The Glogau Teddy Bear Rescue Fund is intended to assist needy families with these small but important amenities.

The fund got its name from an incident in which a child arrived at the hospital without his teddy bear and needed a toy to hug on his way to the operating room, Baj said.

Individual contributions and fundraising events, including one in June at Neiman Marcus, so far have raised about $20,000 toward a $100,000 goal. Planned fundraising events include one in August at Spa Radiance in San Francisco and another event, co-sponsored by InStyle magazine, in October at the Ferragamo store in San Francisco.

In addition, the Glogau Teddy Bear Rescue Fund will receive proceeds from the sales of Hydraflight, a moisturizer for air travelers developed by Glogau and a colleague.

Contributions can be made to the fund by contacting Faye Ainsworth, director of development for UCSF Children's Hospital, at (415) 502-6198 or at fainsworth@support.ucsf.edu.