Four Local Physicians Will Receive The Annual
Unforgettable Pediatric Doctor Award

Join the Annual Lights for Little Lives Memory Walk and
Candlelighting Ceremony Dec. 31 in Loma Linda

Each day, pediatric physicians - pediatricians, ER specialists, surgeons, and neonatologists - make a huge difference in the lives of children and their Inland Southern California families. On Dec. 31st, The Unforgettables Foundation, named 2008 Entrepreneurial Social Charity of the Year by the Cal-State University, will honor four local caregivers with the annual Unforgettable Pediatric Doctor Award during the 9th Annual Lights for Little Lives Memory Walk and Candlelighting Ceremony in Loma Linda.
This year’s winners were nominated by their respective colleagues for this award. According to Executive Director Linda Stratton of the San Bernardino County Medical Society, Damodara Rajasekhar, MD, an Apple Valley neonatologist, stands out for his contributions to area children. Dolores Green, executive director of the Riverside County Medical Association, has notified The Unforgettables that Robert C. Sullivan, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Rancho Mirage, has been selected for helping children afflicted with Cerebral Palsy. The two additional nominees are Kent Denmark, MD, a pediatric ER specialist who works extensively to save children from pool death; and anesthesiologist Monica Neumann-Hartnell, MD, known hospital wide for her expertise with helping children deal with the anxiety of surgery.
The award was originally created in honor of physician husband and wife team Lawrence Tomasi, MD and Nuria Pages, MD, who died in a tragic auto wreck on their way to attend their son’s medical graduation. Dr. Tomasi practiced pediatric neurology at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital and Dr. Pages was a neonatologist at Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley. “These two docs will forever be missed by family, friends and patients,” said The Unforgettables founder, Chaplain Tim Evans, who wants people to remember the couple for all of the many lives they touched and for being exceptional physicians for kids in the Inland Empire. A complete list of past award recipients is available upon request at www.theunforgettables.com.
Beginning at 4:15 pm, the Lights walk begins in front of the Loma Linda Ronald Mc Donald House and proceeds three blocks to the Campus Hill Church for a candlelighting and naming ceremony, along with the award presentations. Approximately 250 residents and supporters attend the family-friendly, free community awareness event each year. Co-chairs for the 2008 event are Temecula Attorney Chris Hammatt and Karen Wilson, executive director of The Unforgettables.
Because of the unique role of our region’s only Children’s Hospital in Loma Linda, The Unforgettables has assisted a little over 1,000 requests there out of a total of 2,150 cases since we first offered burial assistance in this region on Jan. 1, 2001.