OI fundraiser attracts petroleum donors(2)

Minimum bids started at $30, but a Ken Griffith Jr.'s autographed baseball collected about $300. OI representatives said $54,000 were raised last year.

Organizer Pat Keaning said it's important to participate, because the support makes a difference to people with OI.

Keaning presented the Thelma Clarke Lifetime Volunteer Service Award to Frank Fossati. He started fundraisers as worker with Shell Oil Co. Fossati retired from Shell.

Thelma Clarke was a mother of a child with OI, who volunteered with OI Foundation. The award was created when she died in 1989.

“Frank truly is the heart and soul of this event,” Keaning said.

Stewart Tate, OI Foundation director of development, said the funds help to expand medical attention from the state of Washington to Southern California. He said OI is so rare most hospitals advise patients to visit specialists before beginning treatment.

“Can you imagine what someone feels when even before reaching five years of age, the child has suffered 10 to 20 fractures, most of them caused after sneezing, when changing diapers, of just by stretching an arm or leg?” Tart asked. “It’s been scientifically proven that adults, when they reach the age of 35, in many cases they have survived at least 200 fractures. We need to continue research and work to find a cure.”

Tart said the foundation has started partnerships with seven clinics to accept adults with OI. Much of the foundation's research focuses on children, and how genes mutation cause collagen disorders.

Tart said the goal is to open clinics and hospitals in all major cities of the country. A clinic in Portland, Ore. provides special attention to adults from Southern California.

Parke said patients can visit the foundation's website to learn about hospitals and doctors in the area. They can find information about surgeries and teeth hygiene. The site also offers a section on orthopedics. The foundation provides an e-mail that links doctors to potential patients and their families.

Tate estimates about 50,000 people live with OI in the United States. Further information can be found at www.oif.org.