Coming together to help cancer-stricken Chapman student

All members of the Chapman community are invited to dine at Chili’s Restaurants in Orange, Buena Park, Yorba Linda, Foothill Ranch, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo or Huntington Beach on Wednesday, Aug. 25. When diners present the flier (
please print out here
), 15 percent of the lunch or dinner bill that day (from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.) will be donated to Chapman University student Amber Pangan and her family, of Foothill Ranch, to help cover treatment expenses for her recently diagnosed Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system.

Diners are reminded to print out and present the flier to the server for the donation to be credited!

Amber, 19, along with her twin sister, Alyssa, would have entered her sophomore year this fall at Chapman. Both are business administration majors; Amber with an emphasis in marketing and entrepreneurship and a minor in studio art. But Amber has been forced to take time off from her studies to undergo the intensive medical treatment she needs. She also is taking time off from her job at Chili’s in Foothill Ranch, where her mom, Claudia, is manager.

“Fortunately, this is a treatable cancer,” says her brother Josh, 22, who graduated from Chapman in May with a degree in business administration. “If you know Amber, she will defeat this disease. She has already been through so much during her life that the news of her having cancer has been devastating, but she is the strongest, most positive person I know. She won’t let this take her down, and our family has been receiving support from all over. She will be taking the fall semester and possibly the spring semester off, as the treatment takes about 12 weeks.”

Amber was born with Goldenhar Syndrome, which caused cranial facial deformities and scoliosis. “Since the time of her birth until today, Amber has been through a number of surgeries,” Josh said. “She had cranial facial surgeries at ages 2, 4 and 9, as well as two back surgeries at 13. This has resulted in thousands of hours of doctor appointments and procedures at CHOC, UCLA and St. Joseph’s. Now, Amber will fight off cancer at Mission Hospital. Please don’t worry about her — according to the doctors’ timeline, Amber recently ran the Orange County Half Marathon with Hodgkin’s disease!”

According to Josh, “Nothing has stopped our sister from achieving anything in her path. She plans to graduate from Chapman and enter the fashion industry, where her creativity and business sense will be utilized.”