The Sage Foundation for Health Humanitarian Award

 2008 Red Ball Honors Dr. Dudley Halpe

The Sage Foundation for Health Humanitarian Award honors individuals in the Valley of the Sun who demonstrate strong leadership in philanthropy and/or community service, particularly in the healthcare sector. The Sage Foundation is committed to providing care for the medically underserved, and the recipient of this award goes above and beyond in his/her contributions to this same mission.

As a young child in Mexico, Karen's dark eyes sparkled when she smiled, but unlike the other children her age, she couldn't play with her friends or twin sister. Born with a congenital heart defect, Tetralogy of Fallot, Karen was barely able to walk a short distance without sitting down to rest. Her parents knew that surgery could help their daughter, but had no money for such an expensive operation. Karen' prognosis without one was only a few years.

Fortunately, Karen's mother heard of a team of American doctors who were donating their time and services to save children like her daughter. And so she traveled with Karen to a hospital in Hermosillo, Mexico, to see these "gift of life" doctors." At the hospital she met a team of cardiac specialists, headed by Dr. Dudley Halpe, who examined her child. A mothers' dream came true that day; the small girl was told she would receive the desperately needed procedure that would save her life. While Karen was too young for the procedure at that time, she was now being taken care of by the team at Gift of Life. After a few years of patience and endurance, Karen was at last gifted with the life-saving surgery. She was now able to play with the other children in her neighborhood, full of energy and mischief like any normal little girl, and her dark eyes sparkled now with renewed life. Karen is just one of the hundreds of children who are alive today because of the humanitarian efforts of Dr. Halpe and his team.

Dudley Halpe, M.D. has been the cornerstone of Gift of Life since 1985. He demonstrates his enormous capacity to love, care and provide for children living with heart defects in Arizona and around the world. Once President, now Vice President of the Children's Hear Project, Dr. Halpe travels to Sri Lanka with his own cardiac team and medical equipment to work alongside Sri Lankan professionals to provide cardiac care to children of his mother country. Children around the world are touched by his kindness, dedication and determination to providing the best care possible for those who would otherwise receive no care at all.

As a board member of Gift of Life, Rotarian, and respected physician at Phoenix Children's Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital, Dr. Halpe contributes to our community in myriad ways. The Sage Foundation for Health and Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine are honored to dedicate the 2008 Red Ball Humanitarian award to Dr. Dudley Halpe.