The Christini Memorial Bench at the UC San Diego Hillcrest Outpatient Pavilion

The Christini Memorial Bench at the UC San Diego Hillcrest Outpatient Pavilion

Over the next 15 years, the UC San Diego Hillcrest Medical Campus will undergo a remarkable revitalization project. To support this modernization, the Christini Fund has partnered with the UC San Diego Foundation and has committed to fund a commemorative naming recognition. The “Christini Memorial” outdoor bench will be located outside of the new Hillcrest outpatient pavilion. The following text will be displayed on the memorial bench:

GIVING CHILDREN HOPE AND SMILES
THE CHRISTINI FUND EST. 1999

We thank you in advance for your kind generosity and support of this very special naming gift benefitting the Hillcrest Outpatient Pavilion Fund (E7212).

About the Christini Fund at UC San Diego Health

The Christini Fund is named after Christine Shimizu who, at 11 months of age, was diagnosed with a mitochondrial disease called Leigh Syndrome, which causes damage to critical areas of the brain that control breathing, blood pressure, appetite and coordination. “Christini” lost her battle to the disease shortly after her second birthday. In her short life, Christini was an inspiration in many ways to everyone who knew her.

In memory of Christine, the Shimizu family established the Christini Fund to raise philanthropic support for research, increase public awareness of mitochondrial diseases and inform people affected by these devastating diseases about the hope that can be found at UC San Diego’s Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center (MMDC). The MMDC is an international referral center that provides diagnosis and lifelong treatment for patients with mitochondrial disease. By continuing crucial research, the lives of people affected by these diseases can be prolonged while a cure is being discovered.

Christine Shimizu