Helping Lives Bloom First Annual Gala/Family Testimonials

The Rodrigo Family

Arlo and Vinita Rodrigo immigrated from Cuba to the United States with the six-month-old daughter Novia to chase their American Dream for their family. Arlo worked full time in construction while studying for his master’s degree in Civil Engineering and Architecture. Vinita was working at a high school as a Spanish teacher. When Novia was just two years old, she was diagnosed with childhood non Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was not expected to survive beyond a year.

Novia is now sixteen years old, and a senior at Tampa Preparatory School in Florida. She has her sights set on studying international politics and law at an ivy league college. You’ll be able to meet the Rodrigo family and hear their story at the Helping Lives Bloom annual gala event.

---

The Kiong Family

Kiong Li is from the Jiangxi province of the People’s Republic of China. He came to the United States to finish his PhD in Physics, and now works as professor at MIT and does theoretical research in particle physics and quantum mechanics. For the past ten years, Li has moved back and forth between his home in China to be with his family, and his home in the US to work.

Three years ago, his then 12-year-old son Kun was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Li moved his wife Jun and his son out to the US in search of the best medical help he could find. The family worked with Dr. McMillan and Dr. de Bello at the University of New Mexico’s Children’s Hospital on an aggressive treatment plan involving chemo therapy and multiple surgeries. Kun is now in remission, and is expected to live a full, long and healthy life. Meet the Kiong family, and talk to them about their struggles and triumphs over the last few years.