Welcome to my CHOC Celebration Personal Page!
Kristine Torres
Kristine Torres
I am so excited to be participating in CHOC Walk's 30th anniversary event - CHOC Adventure in the Park presented by the Disneyland® Resort to raise funds for CHOC!
Celebrating 13 years of giving back! Welcome to our team members both old and new! A special welcome to our Panthers for CHOC Club members from Corona High! Our journey with CHOC began in 2006 when Nolan first set foot in CHOC after being misdiagnosed at our local hospital. Over the past 16 years we have been met with a variety of medical challenges and at the same time met the most incredible people. Today, Nolan lives each day to the fullest. Always pushing himself and challenging those around him to do the same. Nolan's long journey is shared below in more detail. In 2014 Mason suffered a broken leg and was treated in the CHOC ER and then by their Orthopedic team. 2 years later in true Team Torres fashion, through teamwork of some amazing CHOC doctors, Mason was diagnosed with a non-fused pelvis. This painful and rare condition led the doctors to a bone deficiency diagnosis for Mason. The care that Mason received and the follow up care for some complications from these two issues has been nothing less than what we expect from CHOC. With both boys being treated at CHOC we know personally what CHOC means to patients and families. We give back with passion and love so that others may receive what we have...amazing care and hope. In 2011 Nolan served as the CHOC Walk Ambassador! One of the greatest highlights of his life. The CHOC Walk is our favorite event of the year and we would love for you to join us for our 13th ANNIVERSARY YEAR! If you are unable to join us but would still like to support Team Torres, please go to Nolan or Mason's page and make a donation. No amount is too small! Thank you for sharing in our journey! Here is a bit more about how our journey began... Nolan is our first born. From the day he arrived we knew he was special. He excelled at everything at such a young age- he simply amazed us at what he could do. Then one night in 2006, just before his 4th Birthday, Nolan began to have a seizure & stopped breathing. One call to 911, a ride in an ambulance, and one CT Scan later our world was turned upside-down. And so began our journey with CHOC hospital… The scan revealed that Nolan had been born with a mass of cysts in his brain that we were unaware of. He was also missing a portion of the fibers that connect his right brain to his left. The doctors were all baffled at how advanced Nolan was in his speech, social skills, & coordination. His test results in no way reflected the child that sat in front of them. In true CHOC fashion- they treated Nolan & not his condition. We worked closely with many specialists, formulated a plan, and after 2 ½ years found a medication regiment that kept the seizures to a minimum. Nolan took it all in stride and continued to succeed in all that he did. We thought that the worst was behind us at this point and began to feel relieved that we had a handle on his conditions. Then the fevers started in the spring of 2008. They seemed to become more & more frequent and then they didn’t go away. Nolan was hospitalized as endless doctors tried to figure out what the infection was that was running through his tiny body. They tried to rule out all that they could & after 11 days his fever broke & he slowly started to recover…. This is where our next chapter with CHOC began… After this viral infection ran ramped through Nolan’s body, he suffered through so many terrible symptoms. This led to digestive issues, countless infections, and abnormal blood work. In addition to all of this the fevers still persisted. Nolan dealt with more in one day than most children do in their life. We saw Oncologists, Rheumatologists, Gastroenterologists, Neurologists, and Infectious Disease Specialists all at CHOC. All of whom are did everything they could to try and figure out how to help Nolan. At this point we knew that his pancreas was not functioning as it should (Pancreatic Insufficiency) and that there is a problem with the way his bone marrow was produces white blood cells (neutropenia). After many tests and countless appointments, Nolan was diagnosed with Primary Immunodeficiency (PI). In a nut shell- he is missing vital anti bodies in his immune system that fight off infection from viruses and bacteria. Without these anti bodies, Nolan’s body is unable to produce “fighter cells” like a healthy person. His body was attaching itself when it encountered infection- causing a lot of the symptoms that he was enduring. On September 20, 2010 Nolan was given a loading dose of Immunoglobulin Therapy at CHOC- “fighter cells” from a donor medication. The dose was accepted by his body and the improvements to his health were all but instantaneous! Now each week at home we insert needles into the subcutaneous tissue on his belly and replenish those anti bodies that he has used up. These weekly infusions have changed our lives! In addition to the IvIg treatments Nolan also has to take pancreatic enzymes every time he eats to do the work of his pancreas. Nolan takes over 25 pills a day. He is still very sick- but these medicines allow his body to keep up with that amazing spirit that he has! Like CHOC- Nolan’s determination never wavered. These conditions are life long and Nolan is aware of this. It is just a small part of who he is. He is able to pursue his passions in sports, school and extracurricular activities which would not be possible without CHOC! The doctors at CHOC that treat Nolan are so compassionate, loving, and determined to find a course of treatment that improves Nolan's life. Without the support of our CHOC doctors, we as a family would not be able to deal with the unknown in the manner that we do. Nolan is not frightened to go in for appointments or procedures. It has truly been a TEAM effort. Without the CHOC doctors working together as they have- it is very probable that Nolan would have continued to suffer and go un-diagnosed for many more years or even worse. Our motto is “Some sick kids don’t look sick.” Nolan is the perfect example of this. We depend on CHOC daily to maintain Nolan’s health and without CHOC- our world would be a very different place. We feel very blessed to be a part of the CHOC family!
Please help us exceed our fundraising goal for the benefit of the children and families of Southern California by:
-Donating now by selecting a team member's page below and making a donation or
-Joining Team Torres at this year's event - SAVE THE DATE - Saturday, August 27, 2022 – for the CHOC Adventure in the Park presented by the Disneyland® Resort.
Every dollar counts for kids!
Many Thanks,
Kris
Team Torres
Celebrating 13 years of giving back! Welcome to our team members both old and new! A special welcome to our Panthers for CHOC Club members from Corona High! Our journey with CHOC began in 2006 when Nolan first set foot in CHOC after being misdiagnosed at our local hospital. Over the past 16 years we have been met with a variety of medical challenges and at the same time met the most incredible people. Today, Nolan lives each day to the fullest. Always pushing himself and challenging those around him to do the same. Nolan's long journey is shared below in more detail. In 2014 Mason suffered a broken leg and was treated in the CHOC ER and then by their Orthopedic team. 2 years later in true Team Torres fashion, through teamwork of some amazing CHOC doctors, Mason was diagnosed with a non-fused pelvis. This painful and rare condition led the doctors to a bone deficiency diagnosis for Mason. The care that Mason received and the follow up care for some complications from these two issues has been nothing less than what we expect from CHOC. With both boys being treated at CHOC we know personally what CHOC means to patients and families. We give back with passion and love so that others may receive what we have...amazing care and hope. In 2011 Nolan served as the CHOC Walk Ambassador! One of the greatest highlights of his life. The CHOC Walk is our favorite event of the year and we would love for you to join us for our 13th ANNIVERSARY YEAR! If you are unable to join us but would still like to support Team Torres, please go to Nolan or Mason's page and make a donation. No amount is too small! Thank you for sharing in our journey! Here is a bit more about how our journey began... Nolan is our first born. From the day he arrived we knew he was special. He excelled at everything at such a young age- he simply amazed us at what he could do. Then one night in 2006, just before his 4th Birthday, Nolan began to have a seizure & stopped breathing. One call to 911, a ride in an ambulance, and one CT Scan later our world was turned upside-down. And so began our journey with CHOC hospital… The scan revealed that Nolan had been born with a mass of cysts in his brain that we were unaware of. He was also missing a portion of the fibers that connect his right brain to his left. The doctors were all baffled at how advanced Nolan was in his speech, social skills, & coordination. His test results in no way reflected the child that sat in front of them. In true CHOC fashion- they treated Nolan & not his condition. We worked closely with many specialists, formulated a plan, and after 2 ½ years found a medication regiment that kept the seizures to a minimum. Nolan took it all in stride and continued to succeed in all that he did. We thought that the worst was behind us at this point and began to feel relieved that we had a handle on his conditions. Then the fevers started in the spring of 2008. They seemed to become more & more frequent and then they didn’t go away. Nolan was hospitalized as endless doctors tried to figure out what the infection was that was running through his tiny body. They tried to rule out all that they could & after 11 days his fever broke & he slowly started to recover…. This is where our next chapter with CHOC began… After this viral infection ran ramped through Nolan’s body, he suffered through so many terrible symptoms. This led to digestive issues, countless infections, and abnormal blood work. In addition to all of this the fevers still persisted. Nolan dealt with more in one day than most children do in their life. We saw Oncologists, Rheumatologists, Gastroenterologists, Neurologists, and Infectious Disease Specialists all at CHOC. All of whom are did everything they could to try and figure out how to help Nolan. At this point we knew that his pancreas was not functioning as it should (Pancreatic Insufficiency) and that there is a problem with the way his bone marrow was produces white blood cells (neutropenia). After many tests and countless appointments, Nolan was diagnosed with Primary Immunodeficiency (PI). In a nut shell- he is missing vital anti bodies in his immune system that fight off infection from viruses and bacteria. Without these anti bodies, Nolan’s body is unable to produce “fighter cells” like a healthy person. His body was attaching itself when it encountered infection- causing a lot of the symptoms that he was enduring. On September 20, 2010 Nolan was given a loading dose of Immunoglobulin Therapy at CHOC- “fighter cells” from a donor medication. The dose was accepted by his body and the improvements to his health were all but instantaneous! Now each week at home we insert needles into the subcutaneous tissue on his belly and replenish those anti bodies that he has used up. These weekly infusions have changed our lives! In addition to the IvIg treatments Nolan also has to take pancreatic enzymes every time he eats to do the work of his pancreas. Nolan takes over 25 pills a day. He is still very sick- but these medicines allow his body to keep up with that amazing spirit that he has! Like CHOC- Nolan’s determination never wavered. These conditions are life long and Nolan is aware of this. It is just a small part of who he is. He is able to pursue his passions in sports, school and extracurricular activities which would not be possible without CHOC! The doctors at CHOC that treat Nolan are so compassionate, loving, and determined to find a course of treatment that improves Nolan's life. Without the support of our CHOC doctors, we as a family would not be able to deal with the unknown in the manner that we do. Nolan is not frightened to go in for appointments or procedures. It has truly been a TEAM effort. Without the CHOC doctors working together as they have- it is very probable that Nolan would have continued to suffer and go un-diagnosed for many more years or even worse. Our motto is “Some sick kids don’t look sick.” Nolan is the perfect example of this. We depend on CHOC daily to maintain Nolan’s health and without CHOC- our world would be a very different place. We feel very blessed to be a part of the CHOC family!
Please help us exceed our fundraising goal for the benefit of the children and families of Southern California by:
-Donating now by selecting a team member's page below and making a donation or
-Joining Team Torres at this year's event - SAVE THE DATE - Saturday, August 27, 2022 – for the CHOC Adventure in the Park presented by the Disneyland® Resort.
Every dollar counts for kids!
Many Thanks,
Kris
Team Torres
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