Puppy Fulfills Wish of a Lifetime for Irvine Boy
Young Darian Vakilil suffers from a rare disease called GM1 Gangliosidosis, a degenerative brain disorder caused by a single, but vital, missing enzyme.
GM1 strikes young children, causing toxic materials to build up in the brain, ultimately shutting down critical body functions.
Darian’s parents struggle each day as they watch their four-year-old son’s decline, but recently a little relief has found its way to the Vakilil’s Irvine home in the form of a furry, four-legged friend named Frank.
Frank is now part of the Vakilil’s family thanks to the combined efforts of Newport Beach neurosurgeon Dr. Pawel Jankowski, Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire and Carlsbad-based Spinal Elements Inc.