About Tree For Cure Foundation
A foundation named for what a family does after diagnosis: keep growing.
We’re a nonprofit built by families, clinicians, and researchers who refused to accept how little was known — and how little support existed — for Sialidosis.
Our Story & Roots
Planted after a diagnosis, grown by a community
Tree For Cure Foundation began in 2018, after our founder’s family spent eleven months searching for a name for their daughter’s symptoms.
When the answer finally came back as Type II Sialidosis, there was almost nothing written for families — only dense clinical papers and a handful of forum posts from parents just as lost as they were. The foundation takes its name from a tree the family planted the week of diagnosis, a small, deliberate act of believing in a future.
Since then, Tree For Cure has grown into a global network funding active research, publishing physician-reviewed education, and connecting hundreds of families to specialists and to each other.
Our mission is to accelerate a cure for Sialidosis by funding rigorous research and to make sure no newly diagnosed family ever has to face it without clear information and a community behind them.
Our Mission Statement
Financial Transparency
Where your donation dollar takes root
Figures reflect our most recently audited fiscal year.
Grants to labs studying NEU1 gene variants and potential treatments.
Specialist referrals, financial assistance guidance, and registry support.
Physician-reviewed guides, website resources, and awareness campaigns.
Audits, compliance, and the essential costs of running a nonprofit responsibly.
Our People
Team & Medical Advisory Board
A small staff and a dedicated board of clinicians, researchers, and family advocates guide every decision we make.
Renee Castillo
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Parent advocate who has led the foundation since 2018.
Dr. Elena Ruiz, MD
Medical Advisory Chair
Pediatric neurologist specializing in lysosomal storage disorders.
Dr. Samuel Okafor, PhD
Research Liaison
Geneticist coordinating our funded university research partnerships.
Priya Nair
Patient Advocate, Board Member
Caregiver and registry lead connecting new families to peer support.