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Corey Chambers Real Estate Newsletter September 2023


𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞

What NOT To Do After Labor Day — Let’s Reflect

Redefining Labor Day  —  Labor Day has often been a day of rest, but given the current climate of stagflation, high-interest taxes, and union strikes, this year it serves as a call to reflection more than relaxation. You might be among those who are feeling the pinch and questioning what the future holds when it comes to homeownership or selling. I understand the complexity of the decision you’re facing, and it’s why I’m dedicating myself more than ever to guide you through these unpredictable times.

You’ve probably heard that you should not wear white after Labor Day.   Here’s the Top 10 List of what else NOT to do after Labor Day:

  1. Don’t Ignore Year-End Real Estate Trends: Avoid neglecting the fall real estate market. This is when many serious buyers and sellers enter the market. Waiting too long to list or invest could mean missing out on valuable opportunities.

  2. Don’t Overlook Tax-Advantageous Real Estate Moves: Failing to take advantage of 1031 exchanges or other tax-saving strategies before the end of the year can result in higher capital gains taxes on real estate investments.

  3. Don’t Neglect Season-Specific Real Estate Maintenance: For homeowners and investors in California, ignoring critical fall home maintenance tasks like roof repairs and gutter cleaning can lead to bigger problems in the rainy season.

  4. Don’t Delay Tech Upgrades for Your Business: Many companies offer post-Labor Day discounts on technology and software. Waiting too long could result in paying full price for upgrades to your systems, especially when preparing for holiday or year-end demands.

  5. Don’t Ignore California’s Drought Season Regulations: After Labor Day, some areas in California may enforce stricter water usage rules. Avoid non-compliance by staying up to date on local regulations affecting your property or real estate investments.

  6. Don’t Let Summer Vacation Mode Affect Your Investment Strategy: Keep focused on your year-end financial goals. Neglecting your investment portfolio after Labor Day could mean missing out on critical market movements, especially in sectors like technology and real estate.

  7. Don’t Wait to Prepare for Wildfire Season: If you own property in California, ensure you have defensible space around your home and that you’ve completed fireproofing measures as fall marks the height of wildfire danger.

  8. Don’t Forget to Invest in End-of-Year Technology Stocks: Certain technology sectors, such as cybersecurity or e-commerce, may see spikes in activity toward the end of the year. Avoid waiting until it’s too late to adjust your tech-related investment portfolio.

  9. Don’t Ignore Weather-Related Real Estate Trends: After Labor Day, California’s weather begins to shift. Ignoring this could be costly if you’re trying to sell a property in a market where weather significantly impacts buyer behavior.

  10. Don’t Miss Real Estate Conferences and Networking: Fall is often packed with important real estate and investment conferences. Missing these events can result in lost opportunities to network and gain insights into the latest trends.  Here’s a couple bonus items:

  11. Don’t Neglect End-of-Year Planning for Your Tech Business: For technology entrepreneurs, failing to plan ahead for end-of-year taxes, new product launches, or business expansion post-Labor Day can lead to missed opportunities or higher costs.

  12. Don’t Dismiss Seasonal Shifts in California Agriculture Investments: Agriculture investments in California often slow down post-Labor Day due to the changing growing seasons. Avoid over-investing in crops or sectors that may not perform as well during the fall and winter months.

These are strategies to help you stay ahead in real estate, technology, investment, and California-specific activities after Labor Day!

Life throws us into seasons—some of comfort, others of challenge. The one we’re in now can feel like an economic winter, but as we both know, seasons are temporary. What remains constant is our ability to navigate them, learn from them, and emerge more resilient. #CoreyChambers

This is where you come in…

For September, if you or anyone you know is considering making a move to a new home, we will GUARANTEE a minimum of $10,000 Savings for every $200,000 in sales price on the home purchase, or I will pay the difference*. You read it correctly – my labor saves you, and those you know considering making a move, a nice chunk of change. The reason why I can make such a special offer is simply that our long track record of selling homes and specialized knowledge allow us to negotiate the best deal on the best home for our best clients.  #realestate #newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE: 

  •  AFTER LABOR DAY
  •  How Your Referrals Help Kids
  • And Much More   #realestate #newsletter

Even if YOU are not moving, you can still benefit

Each month in my special California Home Newsletter, I ask, “Who do you know that may be considering a move?”

This is because YOUR referrals help the kids…

Anyone you know considering making a move or wanting to buy or sell their home, please refer them to me without hesitation. They will receive the guarantee I detailed above, and you can rest assured your referrals will help the kids at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

With a guarantee like this, you, your friends, neighbors, work associates, and family members who may be considering a move can now do so and avoid the uncertainties in the marketplace.

If you missed last month’s California Home Newsletter, we are on a mission to raise $25,000 for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Helping Hands Fund, so we are donating a good portion of our income from home sales to them. As you know, Children’s does a tremendous job of helping kids fight through and survive nasty life-threatening diseases like Cancers, Leukemia, and non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: stuff that often robs young people’s lives.

Kids under their care are 300% more likely to enter into remission IF they can get into the recovery center. But the Recovery Center survives on Sponsorships and Donations. So YOUR REFERRALS REALLY DO HELP THE KIDS…

Who do you know considering buying or selling a home you could refer to my real estate sales team?

Not only will they benefit from our award-winning service, but we donate a substantial portion of our income on every home sale to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Helping Hands Fund.

Your Referrals Really Do Help the Kids…

I want to make it easy to refer your friends, neighbors, associates, or family members considering making a move.

You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info online or forward the link to who you know considering a move.

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Over the last two decades of helping thousands of families sell their homes and/or buy another, we have met some wonderful, loving, caring people. People like you! So your referrals, those you know considering a move, that we help – you can rest assured that not only will they get the award-winning service we are known for and the guarantee to back it up, but that a solid portion of the income we receive from the transaction will go toward a very worthy cause.

It’s easy to refer your friends, neighbors, associates, or family members considering making a move. Simply go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com, or, of course, you can always call me directly at 213-880-9910.

I hope you and your family are well and this Independence Day brings you much joy and happiness. With all my appreciation.

Corey

Supporting_CHLA_logo

Corey Chambers, Broker   888-240-2500

P.S. We love honoring our past clients like you. Read all about that at www.ReferralsHelpKids.com

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It’s easy to refer those you know considering buying or selling a home. You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info online or forward the link to who you know considering a move. You can also call me direct or pass my number on 213-880-9910.

Why I Support Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles

I grew up right here in Los Angeles. Born right nearby at St. Francis Hospital. I remember hearing about a young person close to our family suffering from a nasty disease and getting treated for that at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Then, I began to pay more immediate attention to their work at that hospital. Since then, I have learned that it is a collection of hard-working health care professionals, most making their homes right here in the Los Angeles area, all coming together for a common cause. That cause is to help young people overcome unfortunate health issues that life sometimes throws our way. Being a Los Angeles area, California native, I take pride in supporting in any way that I can the good work these people do at Children’s. My team rallies around our annual goal of raising money and donating portions of our income to help Children in their quest to heal young people when they need healing. My team and I are committed to providing outstanding results for buyers and sellers referred to us by our past clients. I have discovered that Children’s Hospital Los Angeles shares similar commitments to its patients. And since their services survive sponsorships and donations, we are happy to contribute and proud to support them.

Sincerely,

Corey Chambers 213-880-9910

Below is the story of a young patient whose life was turned around by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

FIND OUT HOW MUCH YOUR HOME IS WORTH, FREE ONLINE AT HomeEvals.com

 

Upgraded Chemo Propels Luca’s Fight Against Rare Kidney Cancer

by Jeff Weinstock

Diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma, the toddler is now free of disease, with his odds of survival better than ever before. 

“Not even in a million years did I think this was going to be our story,” Jianine says, backing up to Sunday morning, Sept. 24, 2023, when Luca woke up with his usual heavy diaper. But this time it was soaked in dark red blood.

She was startled but not panicked. “He looked like the picture of health,” she says. “He wasn’t pale. He wasn’t sick. Not nauseous. I was thinking ‘Maybe he has a UTI.’”

Urgent care couldn’t accommodate her, so a pediatric nurse friend advised Jianine to take Luca to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “Go to CHLA,” the friend said. “Whatever’s going on with him, they’ll know what to do.”

At CHLA’s Emergency Department, a urine sample led to a kidney ultrasound, and then a retreat to a patient room to await the results. This turned out to be the last pause before “the moment that our universe was cracked open,” Jianine says, which would take Luca and family on a journey through multiple CHLA specialists providing the highest level of pediatric care available.

When two doctors entered to deliver the results, Jianine felt a flash of dread. That’s not what tipped her off, but rather the presence of a third person—a Child Life specialist who offered to occupy Jianine’s 7-year-old daughter, Livia, while the doctors and the family talked. “I’m like, ‘Oh no, this is not good,’” Jianine says.

She and her husband, Clark, were told that Luca had a mass on his right kidney the size of a grapefruit.

“I looked at my husband,” Jianine says, “and this was the last time he and I made eye contact for about eight days because every time we looked at each other, we would just cry.”

The doctors returned in the morning with word that a CT scan revealed the mass was malignant.

“One of them asked me, ‘What do you know about cancer?’” Jianine recalls. “I said, ‘Death.’ She goes, ‘OK, you know the TV movie version of it. I’m going to explain to you what it is here.’”

The doctor proceeded to describe the differences between pediatric and adult cancer, the resilience of children, and their greater success rate.

A surprise finding

Imaging done on the mass showed it was cancerous, and the initial expectation was that it was a Wilms tumor, the most common pediatric kidney cancer.

“About 95% of kidney cancers in kids Luca’s age are Wilms tumors,” says Rebecca Parker, MD, the CHLA oncologist who took on Luca’s case. “So that’s why it comes to our mind first.”

Dr. Parker sent Luca for a biopsy to single out the nature of the cancer, and the results produced a surprise. Molecular testing performed by CHLA’s Center for Personalized Medicine identified the tumor as a clear cell sarcoma, a much rarer renal cancer.

Scans revealed the tumor ran beyond the kidney and into the veins that connect the organ to the vena cava, a valve that sends blood from the abdomen back to the heart. Importantly, though, the portion that extended outside the kidney was not a separate tumor, which would have indicated spread. It was all one mass. Tests found no tumors elsewhere.

“We looked at his bones, at his brain, where clear cell sarcoma likes to hide,” Dr. Parker says. “We looked at his lungs. All of that was clear.”

The finding kept the cancer’s designation at Stage 3 rather than Stage 4, allowing for a much brighter prognosis. In retrospect, the friend who urged Jianine to take Luca to the Emergency Department at CHLA, where he could be hustled right into treatment, may have given her lifesaving advice.

“The family took him to the ER at the exact right time,” Dr. Parker says. “In the grand scheme of things, we caught his tumor pretty early.”

From less likely to likely

The extra piece of tumor that grew into the vena cava presented a problem, however, as it would complicate the job of the surgeon who had to excise it, James Stein, MD, MSc, FACS, FAAP, CHLA’s Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.

“Any time we have to open the vena cava, it makes the surgery more challenging,” Dr. Stein says. “You have to control all the blood vessels entering the vessel from below and from above.”

Dr. Parker and Dr. Stein agreed on giving Luca 12 weeks of chemotherapy in hopes of shrinking the tumor down so it all resided within the margins of the kidney, before going in to remove it. The chemo regimen was enhanced by two additional medications, doxorubicin and

cyclophosphamide. Over the past three decades, Dr. Parker says pediatric oncologists have learned that treating clear cell sarcoma with this more aggressive protocol has caused the disease’s five-year survival rate, formerly less than 2 in 5, to rise to 4 in 5—meaning, from less likely to likely.

The effort to kill off the excess segment of the tumor that reached past the kidney was partially successful. The chemo vanquished some, but not all of it.

“It shrunk back down lower in the vena cava, making the extent of the tumor significantly less,” Dr. Stein says. “It made the surgery more straightforward. Originally, it had extended well up the vena cava toward the heart.”

During the operation, performed in January, Dr. Stein removed Luca’s entire right kidney, which was consumed by cancer, along with the small portion of the mass that fell outside it.

Dr. Parker assured the family that Luca could make do with one kidney—and even less. “You need one half of one kidney, and you can still live a normal life,” she said.

After the procedure, Luca’s chemotherapy resumed. Jianine found comfort in a study on clear cell sarcoma that she arrived at via Google—despite Dr. Parker’s request that she not search the internet, but instead to come to her with any questions. Jianine kept to the resolution for several months but finally weakened and “got led astray,” she says.

Fortunately, this was an instance of productive Googling. The report noted the dramatic rise in the survival rate of clear cell sarcoma patients since the introduction of the upgraded chemo regimen that Dr. Parker had implemented with Luca.

A hopeful Jianine brought the article to the doctor, prefaced by an apology: “I went to her immediately and said, ‘I made a big mistake and I’ll never do it again, but I went on Google.’”

Dr. Parker confirmed the information was right: The five-year survival rate of kids with clear cell sarcoma had risen from 30% to roughly 80%.

Once Luca gets to five years out from treatment with no relapse, the risk of the disease returning drops substantially.

“I wouldn’t say it’s zero,” Dr. Parker says, “but it’s very, very low.”

Shifting perspectives

When his treatment ended, Luca had two of the traditional bell-ringing ceremonies—one on April 26, his last day of chemo, and then another on May 20, after scans of his brain, bones and abdomen showed no indication of disease.

“We looked all over his body to make sure there wasn’t any cancer left hiding anywhere,” Dr. Parker says.

The bell ringing isn’t a permanent trumpeting of all clear. It’s an expression of joyful triumph that marks an end to the darkest phase of treatment. Luca’s care will continue. Now 2 years old, he will be scanned regularly for five years forward, and with each clean report the probability of a recurrence decreases.

Meanwhile, Jianine is again managing a shift in her outlook. When she first heard the diagnosis and told the doctor that she equated cancer with death, she would try fiercely to shut out the thought.

“Of course, you go there in your head,” she says. “You don’t want to say it out loud. You’re like, ‘No, we’re going to stay positive.’”

For Luca’s sake, she had to quickly get over her despair, realizing it wasn’t serving her son any.

“For three days, I was like, ‘This is not happening. I am not built for this. I can’t do this.’ Then by the fourth day, I thought, ‘You know what? There’s no mom that goes, “I’m strong. My kid gets cancer—I got it.”’ This happens to you and you realize you have no choice. You are their advocate. You have to get them through this thing. Why are we going to get through it? Because we have no choice. We will because we have to.”

Now Jianine is navigating another transition, from ferocious mother determined to save her son, to responsible mother mindful of not smothering him with her fears.

“I was hesitant signing him up for school in August,” she says. “I wanted to plan a trip for us to go to San Diego, to SeaWorld. But I thought maybe I shouldn’t because the next scan is in August. Then I thought, ‘Why am I doing that? Why am I holding him back from life?’

“I emailed the school and told them to send over the enrollment forms. I want to have great memories and photos from a trip to Sea World. I switched gears. Let’s live life and move on.”

Learn more about the Cancer and Blood Disease Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

—  Story and photos courtesy Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

How you can help:

Refer your friends, neighbors, associates or family members who are considering making a move:

www.ReferralsHelpKids.com or call Corey at 213-880-9910

Copyright Š This free information is provided courtesy of L.A. Loft Blog and LAcondoInfo.com with the information provided by Corey Chambers, Broker, DRE#01889449. We are not associated with the homeowner’s association or developer. For more information, contact (213) 880-9910 or visit CoreyChambers.com, Licensed in California. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties are subject to prior sale or rental. This is not a solicitation if the buyer or seller is already under contract with another broker.

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Corey Chambers Real Estate Newsletter August 2024 | The California Home

The California Home
The California Home

Brother… it’s Hot & Not Just Outside!

RED HOT Opportunities!

You don’t have to be the weather service to predict the weather this time. We all know… it’s the hottest time of the year. But that’s not all that’s hot. This is the season to buy and sell homes.

This is GOOD for most reading this, but there will be some exceptions. There always are. An example could be selling a house and making it out great, meaning a buyer pays a bit more than they would have not too long ago. And in some areas, the opposite happens. The Seller does not make out that great, but the buyer does. Most homeowners who do not have to know this will hold back on buying or selling. That will, of course, impact supply and demand. Results right now?

How does this impact you? Well, it is a HOT time to invest in real estate. Single-family, multi-family, even lofts. If you didn’t get the memo, here is a particular clause from our Buyer and Seller Agreements of our VIP Client Program, enabling past clients to create additional wealth through real estate. 

VIP CLIENT PROGRAM: Seller _ does OR _ does not wish to participate in Broker’s VIP Client Real Estate Investor Program (REIP), whereby Seller will receive notices of free real estate investor training and notices of real estate investment opportunities by mail, email or phone at times when investment opportunities arise. The Seller may opt out of The REIP at any time. The Seller is never obligated to invest in real estate. So, if you or anyone you know likes making money in real estate using other people’s money, please contact The Corey Chambers real estate team immediately. While these HOT investment opportunities are available. Making gains in assets and wealth is nice! We especially like it because it allows us the opportunity to GIVE more. How about you? 

As you probably know, we donate a portion of our income to some AMAZING, worthy causes, like Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. It’s one of the country’s leading non-profit children’s hospitals. This year we are on a mission to raise $25,000 for CHLA. Their work in helping kids fight through and survive nasty debilitating diseases like cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and leukemia, as well as their work in other life-threatening childhood diseases.

At CHLA, they have performed first-of-its-kind surgeries to save local kids! As the leading not-for-profit hospital in L.A., you probably know they need sponsorships and donations to continue their leading-edge care and keep family expenses to a minimum. We are committed to donating a portion of our income from home sales to this worthy cause. So, YOUR REFERRALS really do HELP THE KIDS…

Who do you know is considering buying or selling a home or investing in real estate? Could you refer me to my team? Not only will they benefit from our award-winning service, but the kids at CHLA will also benefit. So call or pass my number on to anyone you know considering buying or selling. 

My number is 213-880-9910. You and your referrals mean more than ever to my team and me. As we progress through this red-hot summer, please know we are incredibly thankful for you and a particular part of our business. 

Your friends, neighbors, work associates, and family members who may be considering a move can now do so and celebrate true independence from the fear of getting stuck with two homes or none at all. And remember… Your referrals help the Children… As I share with you each month, we are on a mission to raise $25,000 for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Helping Hands Fund. We do this by donating a portion of our income. Children’s does excellent work in helping kids overcome cancer and other life-threatening diseases. In fact, Kids under their care are 300% more likely to enter into remission IF they can get into the recovery center. But CHLA depends on Sponsorships and Donations to keep rolling. So, YOUR REFERRALS REALLY DO HELP THE KIDS…

Who do you know considering buying or selling a home you could refer to my real estate sales team? Not only will they benefit from our award-winning service, but we donate a portion of our income on every home sale to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Helping Hands Fund. In addition, I want to make it easy to refer your friends, neighbors, associates, or family members considering making a move, so here are your options:

1. You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info online or forward the link to who you know considering a move.

2. Of course, you can always call me directly at 213-880-9910.

You and your referrals mean more than ever to my team and me. So as we move forward in this new season, please know that my team and I are incredibly thankful for your being a particular part of our business.

With all my appreciation,

Corey Chambers, Broker

P.S. The story of this girl and her family may cause you to look at your loved ones differently. It did me. Check it out.

It’s easy to refer those you know considering buying or selling a home. Here are the Options Again:

You can go to www.ReferralsHelpKids.com and enter their contact info online or forward the link to someone you know considering a move.

Call me direct or pass my number on:

213-880 9910.

Why I Support Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles

I grew up right here in Los Angeles. Born nearby at St. Francis Hospital. I remember hearing about a young person close to our family suffering from a serious illness and getting treated for that at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Then, I began to pay more immediate attention to their work at that hospital. Since then, I have learned that it is a collection of hard-working health care professionals, most making their homes right here in the Los Angeles area, all coming together for a common cause. That cause is to help young people overcome unfortunate health issues that life sometimes throws our way. Being a Los Angeles area, California native, I take pride in supporting in any way that I can the good work these people do at Children’s. My team rallies around our annual goal of raising money and donating portions of our income to help Children’s Hospital in its quest to heal young people when they need healing. My team and I are committed to providing outstanding results for buyers and sellers referred to us by our past clients. I have discovered that Children’s Hospital Los Angeles shares similar commitments to its patients. And since their services survive sponsorships and donations, we are happy to contribute and proud to support them.

Nano’s Next Chapter

Four years after bone marrow transplant, multidisciplinary care helps a Fanconi anemia patient focus on ‘kid stuff.’ — by Caitlin Kryl

Meeting new classmates at school.   
A pickup game of soccer.   
Quality time with a furry friend.   
And, hopefully, tracking down Iron Man at Disney World.

For much of 10-year-old Adriano’s (“Nano’s”) life, these types of activities were out of the question.

Born with a rare genetic condition called Fanconi anemia which affects bone marrow’s ability to create healthy blood cells, Nano spent his early childhood enduring countless hospital visits, tests and procedures, including a highly specialized bone marrow transplant and a year-long inpatient stay.

Finally, in November 2020, Nano and his mom, Eliana, rang the bell in the Patricia and John Merrill Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, signaling his discharge home and kickstarting a new phase of Nano’s health journey.

VIDEO: Nano and Eliana celebrate Nano’s discharge from inpatient care, November 2020. [WATCH HERE]- Opens in a new window

That journey hasn’t been picture-perfect; For the past four years, Nano’s fragile immune system necessitated dozens of outpatient visits and required him to sit out many activities like playing sports, traveling and going to school.

But this year, Nano enters the next chapter of his childhood: His immune system is healthy, he’s playing soccer and baseball with his brothers, and he has the green light from his doctors to attend in-person school for the first time. Most recently, he experienced his first rides on an airplane and a roller coaster in the same week.

“It has been a long journey,” says Eliana, who left her job in 2019 to care for Nano full-time and lived with him in the hospital. “Now when he gets a vaccine or blood draw, I tell him, ‘This is nothing!’ He’s overcome so much worse.”

A medical odyssey

At 4 years old, Nano spent more than a year in the Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Unit of CHLA’s Cancer and Blood Disease Institute.

“You went in being 4, you came out being 6 ½!” Eliana tells Nano.

Nano received a highly specialized, “mismatched” bone marrow transplant called an umbilical cord blood transplant. The gold standard for bone marrow transplantation involves a “fully matched” sibling donor—someone who matches the recipient at 10-out-of-10 human leukocyte antigens (HLA) which are the markers doctors use to match recipients and donors. Finding a 10-out-of-10 match is easier said than done, though.

Because HLAs are inherited, even when a transplant candidate has siblings, each sibling has only a 25% chance of being a full match. Additionally, many transplant candidates cannot find a fully matched donor in the National Marrow Donor Registry. For people with non-Caucasian heritage, the search is even more difficult: People of Hispanic or Latino, Asian or Pacific Islander and Black or African American descent will have only a 29-48% chance of finding a fully matched registry donor.

“In L.A., our patients come from so many different ethnic backgrounds, adding to the beauty of this city,” explains Paibel Aguayo-Hiraldo, MD, Medical Director of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at CHLA and part of Nano’s long-term care team, “But most of them will not have a matched sibling donor or donor in the registry.”

Cord blood transplants, however, allow more flexibility. These “mismatched” transplants use the stem cells in donated umbilical cord blood and require fewer matching HLA proteins—usually four or five out of six. This was the best option for Nano, and an increasing number of the world’s population.

To Dr. Paibel Aguayo-Hiraldo (known as “Dr. Paibel” to her patients and almost everyone else at CHLA), CHLA’s location in one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world requires building a fully trained team able to provide a wide array of advanced treatments like cord blood transplants.

“At CHLA, we have learned how to do every type of transplant using every source of stem cells and mismatch for patients who cannot find a donor,” she says. “We have conducted more than 2,000 transplants and cellular therapies since we were first established. We consistently perform more than 50% of all pediatric bone marrow transplants in Southern California.”

The transplant was a success—but Nano experienced several other complications that kept him in inpatient care, including a painful gastrological and skin condition known as Graft versus host disease.

Amidst these incredible challenges, Nano’s positivity made a lasting impression on his care team. “He was always smiling,” Dr. Paibel shares. “He could be super sick and he’d still say, ‘Dr. Paibel, give me a hug!’ Every day was new for him, no matter how ill he could have been the day before.”

The healing power of music

In the BMT Unit, Nano is well known for his love of performing—especially mariachi music.

During his long inpatient stay, he’d put on concerts for his care team and fellow patients. Donning a tiny, custom-made mariachi suit, Nano delivered passionate renditions of hits from the Disney movie “Coco” and Mexican folk classics like “Cielito Lindo.”

For the Ortiz family, “Cielito Lindo” (lyrics in the chorus translating to “sing, and don’t cry”) has served as a consistent source of comfort in good times and in hard times. Eliana sang it to Nano and his siblings to comfort them as babies. Then, Nano sang it endlessly during his hospital stay and even wrote the lyrics onto a pair of cleats- Opens in a new window for Major League Baseball star Justin Turner.

Years later, the song still holds the same joyful power: “He was singing it the whole drive to his appointment today,” says Eliana. “It’s like his anthem!”

Call the paparazzi!

To Nano and Eliana, that momentous day, ringing the bell at CHLA in 2020, is a memory that’s been hard to top.

For one, a full mariachi band joined the crowd for Nano’s sendoff.

Nano recalls how special it was to see so many people he loved cheering him on. First, his nurses, doctors and family members threw him a huge party on the BMT floor. Then, outside in the CHLA courtyard, an even bigger crowd was waiting for him: His very own “paparazzi” (the CHLA media team), the mariachi band, and even Iron Man, who symbolized strength and inspiration throughout Nano’s recovery.

“That is my best memory,” says Nano. “Everybody was there to support me.”

For Eliana, their departure signaled their ability to spend time as a family unit again. “It’s something we’ll never forget,” Eliana shares. “After so many years, we all got to be together.”

A long recovery

After a bone marrow transplant recipient is discharged from the hospital, recovery is incredibly sensitive, Dr. Paibel explains. She often tells her patients their lives will change for at least a year. For Nano, complications stretched recovery out even longer.

“Once you’re out of the hospital, in terms of vulnerability, it’s like having a newborn baby,” says Dr. Paibel. “Your body forgets all the vaccinations you received previously. Your brand-new immune system does not know how to fight infections. It’s easy to get very sick.”

Nano’s “newborn” immune system required that he avoid activities and encounters that might lead to illness, like in-person school. For a few years, that also meant skipping interactions with some of CHLA’s most beloved team members: therapy dogs.

“Bone Marrow Transplant is one of the only units in the hospital where they don’t get visits from therapy dogs,” Dr. Paibel explains.

Today, Nano makes up for that “dog-less” time by stopping to pet as many furry friends as possible.

Multidisciplinary care sets Nano up for success

This past June, Nano reached another milestone: His immune system became stable enough that Dr. Paibel and team declared him a “graduate” of the outpatient Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.

On hearing the news, nurses and clinicians from throughout Nano’s journey stopped by to celebrate. “Everybody was so happy,” shares Dr. Paibel, “We called each other to say, ‘Nano is graduating today!’”

While this milestone was overwhelmingly positive for Nano and Eliana, it also felt bittersweet: “It hit him once we left clinic,” says Eliana. “He’s like: ‘Wait, I’m done?’”

“He got so attached to the nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors, and he just couldn’t believe that he’s not going to see them anymore,” Eliana explains. “I’m like: ‘You’ll still come here! You can visit the other side of the clinic. You just don’t need to see them as your doctors.’”

Today, Nano’s outpatient visit days to CHLA are still quite full: He must meet with Dermatology, Nephrology, Pulmonology and Gastroenterology. Long-term multispecialty care for Nano’s Fanconi anemia is essential, as it affects many organs.

“This level of specialty expertise is critical, but so is our focus on human nature,” shares Dr. Paibel. “Each patient becomes family. When Nano visits, he’ll first tell me what he’s doing with his baby sister … and then we’ll talk about medicine.”

To his CHLA care team, Nano shares this message: “Thank you for taking care of me and being kind to me and helping me. You’re awesome.”

New priorities

For so many years, Nano’s number one priority had to be recovery. Four years after his discharge from the hospital, he has a new directive from his care team: Just be a kid.

When asked what aspect of in-person school he’s most excited about, Nano expresses how much he looks forward to making new friends. He plans to tell them about the long journey he’s been on to get there and share his love of sports, superheroes and song.

Before Nano heads to school this fall, his family embarked on yet another milestone: their first trip since Nano was born.

Eliana, her husband Marco and five brothers and sisters all headed to Disney World via Make-A-Wish. Along with trying to “ride every single ride,” Nano most enjoyed meeting up with his favorite superheroes, including Buzz Lightyear, Iron Man and Captain America. “They’re strong and I’m strong,” he says.

“I feel like after this storm, after so much that has happened, we finally get to have some peace together and just have fun as a family,” shares Eliana. — Story and photos courtesy Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Read the original story about Nano from November 2020 here.

Refer your friends, neighbors, associates, or family members who are considering making a move:

www.ReferralsHelpKids.com or call Corey at 213-880-9910

Copyright Š This free information provided courtesy L.A. Loft Blog with information provided by Corey Chambers, Broker DRE 01889449. We are not associated with the seller, homeowner’s association or developer. For more information, contact 213-880-9910 or visit LALoftBlog.com Licensed in California. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Text and photos created or modified by artificial intelligence. Properties subject to prior sale or rental. This is not a solicitation if buyer or seller is already under contract with another broker.