Philip Thorpe was a bright, cheerful boy. He loved playing with his little brother Andrew, and dancing and singing to the songs in "The Jungle Book", and "The Little Mermaid". A few weeks after his 2nd birthday he was diagnosed with stage 4 Neuroblastoma - a very rapid spreading malignant tumor that formed on his Adrenal gland (abdomen) and spread througout his body. He spent most of the rest of his life as a patient in the oncology ward at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. He underwent aggressive Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, 2 surgeries, and a bone marrow harvest. He loved helping the Nurses, and playing with the other children. He especially loved watching the helicopters take off and land on the 7th floor heliport.  He would often sneak away from his room and visit other patients in the hospital.

Philip was in remission for a short time then the tumors came back... he lost his battle a few months before his 4th birthday.