RE Pharmacy – Sponsors of the American Liver Foundation and “FLAVORS – A Culinary Experience” Charity Event
As part of our commitment to helping leading charities, RE Pharmacy was a proud sponsor of the Thirteenth Annual Flavors of Los Angeles Culinary Experience. In association with the American Liver Foundation (LiverFoundation.org), RE Pharmacy stood alongside Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and Keck Medicine at the Taglyan Hall Complex in Los Angeles, California on April 28, 2019. The mission: Raise awareness and contributions for advocacy, education, support, and research to help the lives of people with liver diseases.
Hosts of the event included Sharone Hakman, Dr. Yuri Genyk, Micheal Neflas, and Molly Clark.
Dr. Yuri Genyk is a professor of Clinical Surgery and Chief of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Abdominal Transplantation Department of Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. In 1999, Dr. Genyk was the first to perform a living donor liver transplant at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and again at USC University Hospital. This made USC the third transplant program in the U.S., and first in the Western U.S. to host adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation program.
The Emcee of the night was Celebrity Chef Sharone Hakman. Sharone started as a financial planner, but realized his true love was for food. This led him to an outstanding performance on Fox’s hit TV show “Master Chef”, which served as inspiration to take a bolder stand in the culinary world. Sharone is also the creator of Hak’s BBQ Sauce, which can be found in leading supermarkets including Target, Whole Foods Market, and Albertsons.
www.SharoneHakman.com
www.Haks.com
#EatHaks #SharoneHakman
Michael Neflas is Executive Chef of BOA Steakhouse, and serves as the Corporate Executive Chef for the Santa Monica outpost of Innovative Dining Group. During the event, Michael discussed his passion for food, and how it took him from Line Cook to Sous Chef at numerous Los Angeles restaurants, including Twin Palms restaurant in Pasadena.
Michael Neflas @ Facebook
BOA Steakhouse Official Website
Perhaps the most compelling host was Liver Champion Molly Clark. Molly was born on December 30, 2009. But within 24 hours, life-threatening jaundice had set in. For weeks after, Molly endured blood draws, scans, and other test. Her skin continued to turn yellow, and she had stopped gaining wait. The diagnosis: Biliary Atresia – is a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts in infants, wherein bile flow from the liver to the gallbladder is blocked. This causes the bile to be trapped inside the liver, quickly causing damage and scarring of the liver cells (cirrhosis), and eventually liver failure.
Molly’s surgeons immediately went into action. The eight-hour surgery went well. Molly’s liver had little damage, her doctor was able to find a healthy bile flow. Today, thanks to the doctors and the help of the American Liver Foundation, Molly is no longer dependent upon medications.
Guest Chefs
“When I was in medical school, we believed that cirrhosis of the liver was the end – there was no coming back. Now, however, there are many medications on the market that help to reverse or even get rid of cirrhosis. So one take-away is that cirrhosis it not a death sentence.”
– Dr. Edward Mena
Hepatologist and Medical Director of the Pasadena Liver Center
RE Pharmacy, we take pride in our involvement with contributions to noble causes. By forging strong relationship with charity organizations, we hope that bringing awareness to disease can lead to an ultimate cure.
Jennifer “Lizzie” MacDonald leads the PATH – Patient Healthcare and Wellness Program at River’s Edge Pharmacy. As a patient with multiple chronic conditions, Lizzie has first-hand experience with navigating the complex health system.
Throughout her journey, she has become impassioned with sharing her knowledge and serving as an ambassador for patient independence, wellness, and recovery. This not only lead to patients’ relief and comfort, it has provided an opportunity for doctors to utilize a patient advocate for more effective and time-saving care in their practices.
Lizzie is an outspoken supporter of creating community through support groups as well as through the invaluable connection of one-on-one interactions for patients who are managing chronic/complex illnesses. Through her efforts, she has emboldened patients to share their ideas, goals, and triumphs, as well as live life to the fullest, regardless of their condition(s).
Lizzie is also a contributing author to River’s Edge Pharmacy’s News and Articles
