LOS ANGELES, CA (October 19, 2022): Adventist Health White Memorial will be able to expand its capacity to offer chemotherapy treatment to breast cancer patients, thanks to a recent $1 million donation from boxing superstar and East Los Angeles native Oscar De La Hoya, it was announced today.
The donation from the 10-time world champion, who founded and leads Golden Boy Promotions in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, will allow for a significant expansion of breast cancer services for the Boyle Heights community.
“My mother died of breast cancer at the age of 39, and there’s not a day that goes by that I wonder what more I could have done to help extend her life,” De La Hoya said of his mother, Cecilia. “Unfortunately, Los Angeles has an untold number of women sitting in a terrible situation, lacking access to the kind of care that can save their lives. I am hopeful that this donation can help raise awareness and lead other people who have been as blessed as I to offer similar support.”
«Oscar is a major philanthropist, donor, and partner to our hospital, «said John Raffoul, president of Adventist Health White Memorial. «We are continually honored and blessed by his generosity.»
Hundreds of women are treated for breast cancer at Adventist Health White Memorial each and every year, and credit the hospital with extending their lives and improving their quality of life.
“I had the great honor to personally say thank you to Oscar De La Hoya for this grand gift he has given, and for this opportunity at life he has given me and those who you could say don’t have a guaranteed safety net,” said Martha Guzman, a patient of White Memorial. “There are a lot of people who are sick and don’t have many resources and have found hope at White Memorial through all the staff, doctors and financial support. Because of Oscar and this hospital, I get to see my son get married next May, exactly a year after my life-saving cancer surgery. I am a walking miracle, and it is because of this hospital.”
De La Hoya is a longtime donor to the hospital, where several departments are named in his honor, including the Cecilia Gonzalez De La Hoya Cancer Center, the Oscar De La Hoya Labor & Delivery Center and the Oscar De La Hoya Neonatal Intensive Care Center.
A formal presentation of the donation will occur in the coming weeks, where De La Hoya, White Memorial staff and patients will be available to answer questions.
