About IGF
The Ishan Gala Foundation was formed in September 2008 after the devastating loss of our angel Ishan to the relentless childhood cancer neuroblastoma. IGF is dedicated to the fight against pediatric cancer and the board has committed their efforts to help those in the fight and fund research initiatives essential to finding a cure. Our handprint logo is a replica of Ishan’s print he left on his bedroom wall. It signifies the impression he left on all of us, and the beginning of a journey to help others never feel the same pain his family felt when he left to be with the Lord. His father Mayank wears a necklace with the foundation handprint. On the back of this necklace it says “to my beloved son, I will continue the fight until we are reunited again, daddy loves you”. We believe that one day no parent will never again have to hear those terrifying words “there is nothing more we can do for your child”. IGF thanks you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support in our cause.

IGF Mission
The mission of The Ishan Gala Foundation is to fund research initiatives committed to finding less toxic treatments for the children fighting pediatric cancer, and to help assist the families in this battle with any financial burdens treatments may have cost them along the way.

View The Ishan Gala Foundation's 2010 Financial Summary
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IGF Board Members

Mayank Gala
Founder

Mayank Gala is a local to the Charlottesville, Virginia area. Mayank started his career right out of high school as an area manager for Sunglass Hut Corporation. In 1993 he started his own marketing business and has been self-employed for 17 years. Mayank has also been on the board of several other companies helping them grow to multi-million dollar industries. He is happily married to his wife and celebrated 11 years of marriage this last December.

Mayank is the father to angel Ishan Gala. Ishan was born on August 28th 2006. When Ishan began is battle with neuroblastoma in January of 2008 at 14 months, Mayank and his wife moved to New York to help Ishan fight this life threatening disease. On September 6, 2008 Ishan became an angel. This developed a passion in him to fight so that no other parents ever experience this kind of pain.

Mayank’s first experience with cancer was when he lost his grandmother to pancreatic cancer whom he was very close to. Never did he think that it would come even closer to home.

Mayank recognizes that the parents fighting this battle can become the most important advocates. He hopes his experience can turn his tragedy into one-day someone’s victory.

 

Sejal Gala
Founder

Sejal Gala came to the US with her family in 1993 from India. She resided in Detroit, MI pursuing a pre-med degree with anthropology major at Wayne State University. She met Mayank in her senior year of college and decided to change the course of her career to join Mayank in his marketing business. Sejal married Mayank in 1998 and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia.

Sejal was Ishan Gala’s mom. Having Ishan was the single most exciting event of her life. In Sejal’s words she was carved out for motherhood. Seeing Ishan fight through the treatment was the most painful and difficult time of her life.

Sejal has also witnessed cancer in her family. Her grandfather at 93 passed to prostate cancer this last year.

Although it is difficult, Sejal has joined and supported Mayank’s desire to start this foundation. Her holistic approach to life is a big plus to the foundations mission for finding a less toxic cure for these children.

Jamie Payton
Director

Jamie Payton brings over seven years experience in graphic/website design and advertising to the foundation. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with concentration in Graphic Design from The Art Institute where she graduated at the top of her class. Professionally, Jamie has worked as head designer for two international corporations where she was in charge of all design and marketing concepts for over 14 international offices. In addition to her professional career, she has over 8 years of volunteer experience working with non-profit organizations such as Best Buddies of Virgnia and Washington Grant Makers, which included responsibilites such as event organization and operations, art director and designer. Jamie currently works for SiteWhirks, Inc. as the Lead Graphic Designer.

She is married to her wonderful husband Lee Payton and they have two beautiful daughters Bailey and Abby. Jamie and her family currently reside in Warrenton, Virgnia.

Jamie has been a close friend of the Gala family since August 2006. With the passing of her Aunt in 1996 to breast cancer, she has always been passionate about helping find answers for this horrible disease and was very honored to join in the fight for childhood cancer. She has worked closely with the Gala family on the initial kick-off of the foundation. In addition to being a board member, Jamie donates her talents as a graphic artist to the Foundation by designing all foundation graphics, print materials for events, and the foundation website.

Anita Smith
Director

Anita Smith holds many years of experience in non-profit work and fundraising. After working for eight years at Kluge Children Rehabilitation Center, she has witnessed first hand the thrill of victory as well as the agony of pain of many childhood diseases. Anita is most proud of her service as a Youth Pastor for two different churches while raising a family and continuing to work professionally.

Anita is married to her wonderful husband Lee. She has two grown children, her daughter Stacy and son Clint, both of them married with children, and a stepson Joshua.

One of the most unique qualities Anita brings to the Ishan Gala Foundation is her passion to wipe out cancer – all cancer. Anita has lost her father to Colon Cancer, her mother to Ovarian Cancer and her stepfather to Lung Cancer. In addition, all four of her grandparents have fought some form of cancer and won those battles. At age 36, Anita herself was near death with Stage 4 Breast Cancer, which appeared very quickly and was very aggressive. She fought bravely on what proved to be a long, hard road with many rounds of chemotherapy, no hair for 6 months and many lessons learned. Anita has been in remission for 16 years!

When Anita learned the children with Neuroblastoma receive the same, hard chemotherapies breast cancer patients receive, it was a shock to her. The memories of those days are still all too clear for her. Therefore, when Anita learned she could be a part of finding the cure for this horrible childhood cancer – and in the meantime possibly the cure for other cancers, she was thrilled to offer her services for this Foundation.

Matt Megel
Director

Matt Megel has more than 10 years of experience in marketing and promotions with companies whose revenues range from $100 million to $500 million. He holds a Bachelor of Sciencedegree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univertisy. With his education focus in marketing and communications, Matt has honed his skills in numerous industries, from Pharmaceutical drug development, to Banking and Finance, and most recently Real Estate.

Among his significant previous positions, Matt served as Marketing Manager of Eurofins Medinet, a Breda, the Netherlands-based Central Laboratory and Microbiological testing company. He was a Financial Specialist at Wachovia Bank, and is currently the Marketing Director for a successful Real Estate team at Keller Williams Realty.
 

Matt has been married for 5+ years to Beth Ann Megel and is the proud father of their beautiful daughter Iliana Grace Megel. He and his family currently reside in Northern Virgnia.

Matt has always had a heart for children and being a close family friend to the Gala’s watched first hand what a devastating effect neuroblastoma can have on a family. He was very excited when approached about being a part of the board and lending some of his marketing expertise to such a great cause.


Gretel Truong

Director

Gretel Truong is an experienced media professional, with almost ten years as a documentary and special events producer, director and editor. She has traveled across the country producing unique and compelling videos for a variety of high-profile clients. Using the viral nature of the Internet, Truong has helped her clients capture essential online real estate and thousands of clicks and views. Currently an associate at Haddad Media, a premier D.C. media company headed by former MSNBC Vice President Tamara Haddad, Truong combines politics, entertainment and music in the fast-paced culture of online media to build her niche in communications. She has covered everything from presidential politics to celebrity events, from the business world to non-profits, both in the U.S. and abroad. Truong graduated from the University of Virginia with distinction with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Aarti Gala

Retail and Merchandise

Lifelong resident of the Charlottesville area, Aarti Gala graduated from the University of Virginia and continues to live in the Virginia piedmont developing her brand of custom fine jewelry - Aarti Gala Design. 

Loving aunt to Ishan, Aarti saw first-hand his grapples with the deadly and merciless neuroblastoma. Using her background in marketing and manufacturing, she has helped develop merchandise to raise funds to support IGFs cause including the Make an Imprint pendant.

Dr. Giselle Sholler, MD
Medical Advisory Board / Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Dr. Sholler received her M.D. from New York Medical College, in Valhalla, NY. She was a resident in pediatrics and, subsequently, a fellow in pediatric hematology/oncology at Brown University, before coming to the University of Vermont in 2005. Dr. Sholler's research focuses on new therapies for neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma. These neuronal tumors continue to be therapeutic challenges in pediatrics. Dr. Sholler has shown that Nifurtimox increases oxidative stress in neuroblastoma and induces cell death and decreases tumor size in xenograft models of neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma. She is presently studying the mechanism of this drug, drugs effecting metabolic regulation and oxidative stress, and determining the best drugs to use in combination. Dr. Sholler has completed a Phase I trial of the drug nifurtimox. She has opened and is currently enrolling in a Phase II trial of nifurtimox in combination with cytoxan and topotecan for relapsed neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma patients. She has begun preclinical testing of many drugs and recently opened a new Phase I study of TPI-287 in relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma. Dr. Sholler's clinical trials also involve the study of the genomic differences of her patients neuroblastoma cells isolated from bone marrow samples and working with Dr. Bond and Dr. Webb to design a patient specific predictive model for therapy.

To see more information on Dr. Sholler's research and publications please click here.

Dr. Shakeel Modak, MD
Medical Advisory Board / Pediatric Oncologist

I am a pediatric oncologist who specializes in the treatment of children and young adults with neuroblastoma and other solid tumors. With my colleagues, I translate laboratory research into new immunologic therapies that can target these tumors.

Education
MD, T.N. Medical College, Bombay University (India)

Residencies
B.Y.L. Nair Charitable Hospital (Bombay, India); Birmingham Children's Hospital (UK); Blank Children's Hospital (Des Moines, Iowa)

Fellowships
Royal Marsden Hospital (Sutton, UK); NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications
Pediatrics

Clinical Expertise
Pediatric Hematology-Oncology; Immunotherapy; Neuroblastoma