My Daddy is a Pike. We need your help.

Anthony Leoni is a 1979 initiate of Theta Eta Chapter (Loyola Marymount) and graduated in 1981. He served as Chapter Advisor for 12 years and was Golden West Regional President from 1990 through 1997. Tony stepped aside to focus on being a father and Jessica Nicole Leoni was born July 6, 1997.

Tony and his wife, Lisa, are loving parents to Jessie, but they are faced with a challenge that is a nightmare for their family. Jessica was found to have Cirrhosis of the liver at five months of age. Before her first birthday she was diagnosed with Niemann-Pick Type C disease, an extremely rare genetic disorder that is fatal. NP-C patients do not have the ability to metabolize cholesterol properly. Consequently, excessive amounts of cholesterol accumulate within the liver, spleen and brain and leads to the progressive deterioration of the nervous system. The damage to the nervous system results in the ultimate deterioration of the body. Children with this disorder rarely live into their teenage years.

Today, Jessica is a delightful four year old. Through early intervention of therapies, prayers and lots of love, she laughs, plays and learns like other children. Her future is uncertain, however, in this race against time. Great strides need to be made to find a treatment and cure.

Pike response
A number of Tony's Pike Brothers have stepped up and made generous contributions of time, materials, services and money. His family needs the help of others, many others. Since the disease is fatal, time is critical and there is much work that needs to be done.

Undergrads join the fight!
The undergraduate chapters of the Golden West Region of Pi Kappa Alpha have joined the fight. In the spring of 2000, the undergraduate chapters of the Golden West Region conducted a fundraising drive.

Pikes sold "World’s Finest Chocolate" to fund research to help save the life of Jessica. Some chapters responded on their own, a sorority softball tournament, a raffle drawing, a spaghetti dinner. In all, over $10,000 was raised and presented to the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation. It was the largest and most successful effort that theAPMRF has seen by college students.

The Pikes renew their fight this Spring.
This year’s campaign kicks off at the Golden West Regional Conference to be held in San Diego March 2-4.

 


Contributions will be gratefully accepted to the Jessica Leoni Trust made out to the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation and/or the Jim Lambright Medical Research Foundation. Both Foundations are non-profit corporations that fund research projects to find a cure for Niemann-Pick Type C Disease. Your donation is tax deductible. You may send your contribution to:

The Jessica Leoni Trust
P.O. Box 83744
Los Angeles, CA 90083-0744

We will forward your donation. You may telephone us at (310) 649-6125.