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    Two Families Meet Tuesday, August 3rd for the First Time in Story of Giving

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    Posted on August 2, 2021 To
    Two Families Meet Tuesday, August 3rd for the First Time in Story of Giving

    August 3 would have been Dylan Yadriel Cruz-Pantoja’s 18th birthday. He passed away the morning of Nov. 9, 2019. His family will be commemorating his wonderful life by donating a garage full of medical equipment to needy families in Chicago, particularly in the Hispanic community.

    When Dylan was born in Puerto Rico, he was given six months to live. They subsequently moved to San Antonio, Texas. Through the care of his loving family, Dylan instead passed away at 16 years old.

    Try as they might, the Pantoja family could not find an organization to donate thousands of dollars of medical equipment for physically challenged children in San Antonio.

    Attorney Pedro Soler, who represented the Pantoja family, introduced them to Clifford Law Offices, who then connected them to ASI on Chicago’s northwest side, a non-profit agency that for nearly 40 years has been helping persons with disabilities, particularly in the Hispanic community, with home care, employment, and training services.
    The Pantoja’s rented a van, loaded up the equipment and made a road trip to Chicago where ASI stored all of it while trying to locate various families in the Chicago area who had developmentally disabled children and were financially in need of items their families simply couldn’t afford.

    Items including wheelchairs and special beds, catheters, feeding pumps, humidifiers, nebulizers, tracheotomy tubes, diapers, dressings, gauze – boxes and boxes of equipment that Dylan never got a chance to use — is now being given to others in need. One family in particular, the Aquilars from Chicago’s northwest side, needed many items for their 11-year-old son Felipe, a bright, lovable boy who was born with cerebral palsy and is a quadriplegic.

    At noon, Tuesday, August 3, the two families will meet at a press conference at ASI, 2619 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago, so that the circle of love between two families who have never met can be completed. Both families are bilingual and are available to speak to the press.  Also available is Erin Clifford, Partner at Clifford Law Offices, as well as Pedro Soler, attorney for the Pantoja family, who helped make all of this happen. ASI Executive Director Marta Cerda will be on hand to discuss the tremendous needs of children as they grow with physically challenging disabilities. The press conference will be streamed live (see details below) and will be available shortly afterward in its entirety on the Clifford Law Offices website, www.CliffordLaw.com.

    Also critical in this donation process was the Center for Independence through Conductive Education in suburban Countryside, IL. Executive Director Patricia Herbst was involved in bringing everyone together including Devices for the Disabled of Chicago’s southwest side that will transfer the medical equipment to the Aguilar home. Illinois Appellate Court Justice Jesse Reyes, who took an initial step in making this happen, also will be on hand. It took a village.

    Media

    Soler Fundraiser Photos Link
    Photos in the link above showcase the Pantoja family.

    Press Conference Photos

    Press Conference Video

    For further information, please contact Clifford Law Offices Communications Partner Pamela Sakowicz Menaker at 847-721-0909 (cell).