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For Immediate Use Amy Waddell UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations (310) 794-8672 Seventh Annual Breath of Life Ventura Triathlon/Relay to Benefit Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA Event Organized by UCLA Alumni Seeks Athletes, Volunteers and Donations Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA will be a beneficiary of the 7th annual Breath of Life Ventura Triathlon/Relay held in honor of UCLA alumna, Dina LaVigna. The 1986 graduate died at age 33 from complications related to a genetic disorder called primary immunodeficiency (PI). Family and friends started the annual triathlon to raise funds to carry out Dina’s wish to help other patients. The triathlon/relay will begin at San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura on Sunday, June 26, 2003 at 7:30 a.m. To register, or for more information on volunteering or making a donation, please visit www.triforlife.com or call (310) 267-1852. Dina LaVigna was diagnosed with PI in her early teens and underwent monthly gammaglobulin treatments. Her disease led to other health ailments, including diminished lung capacity, and she died in 1997. Dina’s brother, Grant, and friends, Monica and Mark Spiro, founded the Breath of Life Ventura Charity Triathlon/Relay under the umbrella organization called the Jeffrey Modell Foundation. The purpose of the Triathlon is to carry out one of Dina's greatest wishes to make life more pleasant and improve the care and experience for PI patients. Dina’s friends, many of whom are also UCLA alumni, have worked together to continually expand the annual event and raise more donations each year. Funds from past Breath of Life triathlons have benefited the pediatric hematology and oncology programs at UCLA’s Mattel Children’s Hospital, including an annual holiday party for patients.
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