Dear Editor,
On behalf of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where I have worked as a pediatric oncologist and as a local Malibu resident since 1999, I want to express my most heartfelt thanks to the Malibu community for their decades of support of the Malibu Triathlon.
Over the last 34 years, I’ve had the privilege to care for children with cancer at CHLA. These children and their families provide a strong inspiration to our pediatric cancer program medical team to work to cure more children and decrease the related side effects. Those of you who attended the Planning Commission and City Council meetings regarding the permit for this year’s triathlon were able to hear some of these families share their personal journeys and the important role CHLA plays in fighting childhood cancer. Many of these families participated in the triathlon last weekend and helped to raise awareness of children’s cancer and provide important funding for cancer research at CHLA (more than $18 million since 2007). I hope many of you who were triathlon participants had a chance to meet these heroes as they swam, biked, and ran with you. I also want to thank the many Malibu citizens who spoke at the city meetings in support of the role CHLA plays in our own community. Locals also spoke about the importance of the triathlon for local athletes, building community, and raising awareness of children’s cancer.
Thank you, Malibu!
Judy Villablanca, Malibu