Alina's Legacy in Funding Genetic & Mitochondrial Research

Our beloved daughter, Alina Hwang-Liu, passed away in our arms after 3 weeks in the ICU due to a rare genetic disease that causes mitochondrial DNA depletion. She was just 4.5 months old.

Her life was short but filled with love and joy. The time spent with her gentle soul was the happiest time of our lives. To the last day she made connections with everyone she met including the PICU team at Cedars Sinai, who genuinely loved her, cared for her, gave us closure, and helped her pass in peace. For them we will be eternally grateful.

We believe that a meaningful life is composed to two components - internal & external. Internal fulfillment comes from treating the world as your playground - meeting as many people as possible, living the diverse experiences the world has to offer, and enjoying life to the fullest and treasuring our time on this earth. And external fulfillment comes from leaving an impact with your life - touching other people's lives, improving the human condition, and leaving a mark for the betterment of others after your time ends.

Alina touched our lives deeply throughout her short stay here. We believe that it's our job to carry on her legacy so that she can achieve the latter. Her life will continue to have an impact on the world. Our continued focus on this work from this point on, will also give us, her surviving family, the strength to utilize own lives to the fullest.

For that reason, we are hoping to raise funds to support rare genetic & mitochondrial disease research. We have set up a donor-advised fund in Alina's memory, and will use any funds raised to support the most impactful research programs. We have identified the leading institutions of Mitochondrial medicine research, and are actively analyzing the research in progress as well as the efficiency of these institutions to allocate funds for the biggest impact.

Meaningful clinical headway has been made by a few institutions, including:

*If you are interested in making a larger donation and to avoid Gofundme's transaction fees, please contact us directly. We can provide instructions on how to donate directly.

Hopefully in time, a cure can be found and other families won't have to lose their loved ones in the future.

Your family loves you Alina. May your gentle soul rest in peace. Alina Hwang-Liu, 11/27/2023 - 4/19/2024.

Love,

Jae Hee, Fred, and Avery