When our son Anthony was diagnosed back in July of 2015 at the age of 15 months, we were, as all parents would be, profoundly heartbroken. We reached out to the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation (PMSF) and within months we became friends with so many families around the world whose children were also affected by the syndrome. As a result, we also came into contact with Carmela and Joe, who, to our surprise, lived just minutes away from us. We even had some friends in common so we immediately became very good friends.

The idea of planning a fundraiser event was always in our minds, but between therapies, work and caring for our children, we put it aside.

In July 2016 we attended our first Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation Conference and after witnessing all the efforts and dedication of the Foundation and the other families, we felt the need to give back to the Foundation and we were inspired to begin planning the HOPE for 22q13 Gala.