Honoring Christa Flynn

Christa Flynn always knew that CHOC was an important part of Orange County, she just didn't realize how important it would become to her until her son Michael was involved in a terrible car accident.

After the accident, Michael was immediately rushed to CHOC at Mission, where he underwent surgery. His spleen was removed, and one of his kidneys was no longer working. In addition, he had a back fracture and several cracked ribs. Then, after being transferred from CHOC to another hospital, he developed pancreatitis.

Michael was transferred back to CHOC, where he underwent spinal surgery. According to Christa, "the staff was wonderful; I really got to see how good CHOC is. They are compassionate to both patients and family members." Today, Michael is a business major at San Diego State University and is able to surf and run triathlons. "We are so grateful for everything CHOC did for my son and our family," says Christa.

In addition to being a grateful parent, Christa is also a member and treasurer of the Small World Guild. She joined in 2002 after hearing good things about the guilds from her friends and her mother-in-law, who was a member of the Mad Hatter Guild.

According to Christa, "I joined Small World so I could contribute to a worthwhile cause. CHOC is wonderful; I've met so many caring, generous women. I just never realized how important CHOC would become to my family someday."

Christa Flynn lives in Irvine with her husband Jeff and sons Danny and Michael.