Portland, OR. Zoe designed the ‘Nike Dunk Low’ for the Nike Freestyle XVII collection. An alternate colorway (one of two pairs in the world) was up for auction on eBay, along with other rare products. On March 5th Nike and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital raised $568,000 with the annual event. Since 2004, the partnership has raised nearly $31 million.
Ayman’s Doernbecher Freestyle collection shoes were auctioned off. Only two people in the world own these Nike Blazer Mid ’77 sneakers (and Nike Mercurial Superfly 8 Elite FG boots), both were signed by Portuguese soccer star, Cristiano Ronaldo.
There were seven exclusive Doernbecher Freestyle XVII collections up for auction.
About Doernbecher:
Doernbecher Children’s Hospital is an academic teaching children’s hospital associated with Oregon Health & Science University located in Portland, Oregon. Established in 1926, it is the first full-service children’s hospital in the Pacific Northwest, and provides full-spectrum pediatric care.
Here’s a video about the work done by Doernbecher:
Portland, OR. Update: Nike and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital put their annual benefit auction on hold last month when it was it was disrupted by troll bids. But the organizations were able to restart and all 17 pairs of the special-edition sneaker were successfully auctioned on eBay March 2nd – 7th. In total, the fund drive raised over $1.1 million. According to a collector’s company called Complex Sneakers, the shoes sold for an average of $33,239 per pair, with the highest selling for $52,900 and the lowest going for $22,523. It was a far cry from the over $2 million fraudulent early bid which shut down the auction.
“Without philanthropy like what we receive from Nike, its retailers and the Doernbecher Freestyle program, OHSU Doernbecher might not be able to open its doors to provide high-quality care to children across Oregon and the region,” says Dana Braner, M.D., FAAP, FCCM, Credit Unions for Kids chair and professor of pediatrics (critical care) in the OHSU School of Medicine and physical-in-chief for OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. “This support is vital. It not only saves lives today but will save and improve lives far into the future.”
Due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, instead of a range of shoes designed by children, Nike and Doernbecher settled on the “What The” themed Air Jordan 1. The special shoe was created using elements of Doernbecher Freestyle designs of the past. Unlike past years, the shoe wasn’t created for a wide release—instead, a very limited run of 17 pairs was produced.
“Featuring some of the most memorable elements from each of the program’s 14 previous Air Jordan sneaker designs, the exclusive Air Jordan 1 “What The” Doernbecher represents the teamwork, inspiration and creative spirit of the Doernbecher Freestyle program,” explained organizers.
Virtually Freestyle donor gifts, sponsorship and proceeds from an eBay auction – featuring 17 pairs of the coveted AJ 1 “What The” Doernbecher, and exclusive Doernbecher Freestyle apparel – raised more than $1.1 million to support OHSU Doernbecher. When coupled with a $1.8 million gift from Nike and its retail partners Shoe Palace, Sneaker Room and DTLR from retail sales of the 2019 Doernbecher Freestyle collection, the cumulative total raised by the Doernbecher Freestyle program is now more than $30 million.
All funds raised benefit OHSU Doernbecher patients and staff in a variety of ways, from the delivery and discovery of advanced clinical treatment to emotional support and advocacy that helps to lift spirits and spread hope.
Below are photos of the specific details of the shoes:
Sheridan, Air Jordan II Doernbecher (2007) A fan of paisley patterns, Sheridan came together with his Nike team to design and create a custom pattern just for him. Originally applied to the tip and quarter panel of his Air Jordan II, the iconic green paisley now makes a special appearance on the right shoe collar and upper of the AJ 1 “What The” Doernbecher. / Caden, Air Jordan VIII Doernbecher (2014) Caden’s reminder to “Be Brave” is prominently placed on the lateral collar overlay on the right Air Jordan I “What The” Doernbecher, and his flaming basketball graphic adorns the outsole.
Daniel, Air Jordan X Doernbecher (2013) Most prominent on Daniel’s original design was the camouflage pattern material that covers the shoe’s upper, and it shows up on the eyestay and under the shoelaces of this year’s shoe. /John, Air Jordan XIII Doernbecher (2015) John’s original design boasts a green and black color scheme inspired by the outfit he wore to OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital for the first time. His original vibrant green material makes a statement on the vamp of the right AJ I “What The” Doernbecher.
Donovon, Air Jordan XV Doernbecher (2018) A fan of Japanese anime, Donovon wanted his original Air Jordan XV design to represent him as a character in his own anime story. Suede dragon scales covered the shoe’s upper, while bright gold accents represented the hero’s armor. Both elements can be found on the AJ I “What The” Doernbecher’s right tip and shiny Swoosh. /Isaac, Air Jordan V Doernbecher (2012) Isaac’s Air Jordan V officially released on September 14, 2013, on what would have been his 14th birthday. The AJ I “What The” Doernbecher celebrates Isaac’s enduring spirit. The material from Isaac’s original design — which features glow-in-the-dark and black-light-activated elements inspired by his love of video games — is included on the quarter panel of the left AJ I.
Damien, Air Jordan VII Doernbecher (2016) Budding rock star Damien added a guitar pick patch on the foxing of his original design, inspired by his favorite guitar, and which includes his initials “DJP.” The patch appears on the left heel foxing of this year’s shoe. /Isaiah, Air Jordan IV Doernbecher (2011) The side quarter panel and cupsole of the right shoe features the green from Isaiah’s original design, which represents his perseverance through life’s ups and downs. /Jordan, Air Jordan VI Doernbecher (2009) This year’s AJ I “What The” Doernbecher right shoe features a metallic gold collar lining inspired by Jordan’s original design, and his icon “1” logo appears on the heel tab.
Cole, Air Jordan III Doernbecher (2010) Look closely at this year’s left shoe collar and outsole to find Cole’s favorite design element: a grid pattern which spells “C-O-L-E” in repetition. / Tony, Air Jordan I Doernbecher (2008) Tony’s original palm trees represent his favorite tropical place, while the angel wing pattern symbolizes everyone, including his family and the Doernbecher team, who supported him during his medical journey. These same angel wings are present on the heel foxing of the left AJ1 “What The” Doernbecher, and his bright yellow contrast stitching on the Swoosh represents the good times cutting through the bad.
Ethan, Air Jordan XIV Doernbecher (2019) The same vibrant, iridescent material on the quarter panel of Ethan’s original design appears on the vamp of this year’s left shoe. /Oswaldo, Air Jordan IX Doernbecher (2012) Leaning into Oswaldo’s “Little Chicken” nickname from his family, this year’s shoe brings his custom-etched, metallic gold and black feather pattern on the tip, eyestay and forefoot overlay.
Carissa, Air Jordan XII Doernbecher (2017) Carissa’s Air Jordan XII design was all spunk, loaded with references to food, pets and colors. That energy is reflected in her design’s wild, marbled pink outsole, which appears on the left outsole of the AJ I “What The” Doernbecher.
Sheridan, Air Jordan II Doernbecher (2007) A fan of paisley patterns, Sheridan came together with his Nike team to design and create a custom pattern just for him. Originally applied to the tip and quarter panel of his Air Jordan II, the iconic green paisley now makes a special appearance on the right shoe collar and upper of the AJ 1 “What The” Doernbecher. / Caden, Air Jordan VIII Doernbecher (2014) Caden’s reminder to “Be Brave” is prominently placed on the lateral collar overlay on the right Air Jordan I “What The” Doernbecher, and his flaming basketball graphic adorns the outsole.
Portland, OR. Nike and OHSU Doernbecher are putting their annual benefit auction on hold while they vet some bidders. The 17th annual event called Virtually Freestyle was online. At one point, a shoe collector’s site reported the pair shown above was selling for more than $2 million. The auction was quickly stopped and Doernbecher released a statement that explained, “Out of an abundance of caution, the OHSU Foundation proactively halted the bidding process of Thursday’s Virtually Freestyle auction and is actively working to verify the authenticity of uncharacteristically high bids. We took these steps as added measures to existing security protocols.”
Due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, instead of a range of shoes designed by children, Nike and Doernbecher settled on the “What The” themed Air Jordan 1. The special shoe was created using elements of Doernbecher Freestyle designs of the past. Unlike past years, this shoe isn’t being prepped for a wide release—instead, a very limited run of 17 pairs was produced.
In honor of the 17th year of the program, only 17 pairs of the Air Jordan I “What The” Doernbecher were created. The first Air Jordan I “What The” Doernbecher, with a custom lasered box, was supposed to kick off the auction. Then the remaining 16 pair were suposed to be auctioned on Feb. 26th, but all the bidding has been put on hold.
Nike Product Director, Lee Banks with Freestyle XIV designer, Brody Miller in 2014. Since 2003, Nike and OHSU Doernbecher have collaborated with young designers for Doernbecher Freestlye event. Children battling serious illnesses design some of Nike and Jordan Brand’s most popular sneakers.
Typically, a group of children ages 8 to 15 are selected to work with Nike designers on a range of footwear that’s eventually released to the public. Doernbecher Freestyle raises money and awareness for the hospital. Over the years, the event has raised more than $29 million for the hospital, including $1,898,525 from the 2019 collection.
The children’s hospital is investigating what happened during a kickoff auction on February 25th when bidding on the first pair hit the $2 million dollar mark. For some perspective, last May Michael Jordan’s game-worn, autographed, Nike Air Jordan 1S from 1985 sold for $560,000 at a Sotheby’s auction. That was a world record price.
Doernbecher officials explained what they plan to do going forward with the following statement:
Doernbecher Freestyle adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic by partnering with a reputable online auction vendor to coordinate Virtually Freestyle, the program’s first event, and auction to take place solely online.
The OHSU Foundation is committed to following best practices and ensuring a fair auction. Event attendees interested in submitting bids for Virtually Freestyle auction items, including a special Air Jordan 1 “What The” Doernbecher, were required to agree to a robust Terms and Conditions contract. Bidders were also required to register using a valid credit card number, as a part of the authentication process completed by the online auction vendor.
To allow us the necessary time to reaffirm the validity and security of this and future online bidding processes, we have postponed the online auction of the sixteen remaining pairs of the Air Jordan 1 “What The” Doernbecher previously scheduled to begin Friday, Feb. 26. We will share additional information regarding the status and availability of Virtually Freestyle auction items at a later date.
Doernbecher Freestyle fans, including those that joined us from across the globe for Thursday’s event, know how much the program means to the patients, families, and staff at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. We are grateful to Nike, our community members, donors, and sponsors for their support of OHSU Doernbecher, and the young patient-designers behind every Doernbecher Freestyle collection.
Designers call the shoes an unforgettable tribute to former patient-designers, seen through the vault of Air Jordan: an Air Jordan I “What The” Doernbecher, featuring elements from each of the program’s 14 Air Jordan designs.
Below are photos of the specific details of the shoes:
Sheridan, Air Jordan II Doernbecher (2007) A fan of paisley patterns, Sheridan came together with his Nike team to design and create a custom pattern just for him. Originally applied to the tip and quarter panel of his Air Jordan II, the iconic green paisley now makes a special appearance on the right shoe collar and upper of the AJ 1 “What The” Doernbecher. / Caden, Air Jordan VIII Doernbecher (2014) Caden’s reminder to “Be Brave” is prominently placed on the lateral collar overlay on the right Air Jordan I “What The” Doernbecher, and his flaming basketball graphic adorns the outsole.
Daniel, Air Jordan X Doernbecher (2013) Most prominent on Daniel’s original design was the camouflage pattern material that covers the shoe’s upper, and it shows up on the eyestay and under the shoelaces of this year’s shoe. /John, Air Jordan XIII Doernbecher (2015) John’s original design boasts a green and black color scheme inspired by the outfit he wore to OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital for the first time. His original vibrant green material makes a statement on the vamp of the right AJ I “What The” Doernbecher.
Donovon, Air Jordan XV Doernbecher (2018) A fan of Japanese anime, Donovon wanted his original Air Jordan XV design to represent him as a character in his own anime story. Suede dragon scales covered the shoe’s upper, while bright gold accents represented the hero’s armor. Both elements can be found on the AJ I “What The” Doernbecher’s right tip and shiny Swoosh. /Isaac, Air Jordan V Doernbecher (2012) Isaac’s Air Jordan V officially released on September 14, 2013, on what would have been his 14th birthday. The AJ I “What The” Doernbecher celebrates Isaac’s enduring spirit. The material from Isaac’s original design — which features glow-in-the-dark and black-light-activated elements inspired by his love of video games — is included on the quarter panel of the left AJ I.
Damien, Air Jordan VII Doernbecher (2016) Budding rock star Damien added a guitar pick patch on the foxing of his original design, inspired by his favorite guitar, and which includes his initials “DJP.” The patch appears on the left heel foxing of this year’s shoe. /Isaiah, Air Jordan IV Doernbecher (2011) The side quarter panel and cupsole of the right shoe features the green from Isaiah’s original design, which represents his perseverance through life’s ups and downs. /Jordan, Air Jordan VI Doernbecher (2009) This year’s AJ I “What The” Doernbecher right shoe features a metallic gold collar lining inspired by Jordan’s original design, and his icon “1” logo appears on the heel tab.
Cole, Air Jordan III Doernbecher (2010) Look closely at this year’s left shoe collar and outsole to find Cole’s favorite design element: a grid pattern which spells “C-O-L-E” in repetition. / Tony, Air Jordan I Doernbecher (2008) Tony’s original palm trees represent his favorite tropical place, while the angel wing pattern symbolizes everyone, including his family and the Doernbecher team, who supported him during his medical journey. These same angel wings are present on the heel foxing of the left AJ1 “What The” Doernbecher, and his bright yellow contrast stitching on the Swoosh represents the good times cutting through the bad.
Ethan, Air Jordan XIV Doernbecher (2019) The same vibrant, iridescent material on the quarter panel of Ethan’s original design appears on the vamp of this year’s left shoe. /Oswaldo, Air Jordan IX Doernbecher (2012) Leaning into Oswaldo’s “Little Chicken” nickname from his family, this year’s shoe brings his custom-etched, metallic gold and black feather pattern on the tip, eyestay and forefoot overlay.
Carissa, Air Jordan XII Doernbecher (2017) Carissa’s Air Jordan XII design was all spunk, loaded with references to food, pets and colors. That energy is reflected in her design’s wild, marbled pink outsole, which appears on the left outsole of the AJ I “What The” Doernbecher.
Sheridan, Air Jordan II Doernbecher (2007) A fan of paisley patterns, Sheridan came together with his Nike team to design and create a custom pattern just for him. Originally applied to the tip and quarter panel of his Air Jordan II, the iconic green paisley now makes a special appearance on the right shoe collar and upper of the AJ 1 “What The” Doernbecher. / Caden, Air Jordan VIII Doernbecher (2014) Caden’s reminder to “Be Brave” is prominently placed on the lateral collar overlay on the right Air Jordan I “What The” Doernbecher, and his flaming basketball graphic adorns the outsole.
Portland, September 11th, 2013. An HIV/AIDS vaccine candidate developed by researchers at Oregon Health & Science Universityappears to have the ability to completely clear an AIDS-causing virus from the body. The promising vaccine candidate is being developed at OHSU’s Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. It is being tested through the use of a non-human primate form of HIV, called simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV, which causes AIDS in monkeys. Following further development, it is hoped an HIV-form of the vaccine candidate can soon be tested in humans. These research results were published online today by the journal Nature. The results will also appear in a future print version of the publication.
“To date, HIV infection has only been cured in a very small number of highly-publicized but unusual clinical cases in which HIV-infected individuals were treated with anti-viral medicines very early after the onset of infection or received a stem cell transplant to combat cancer,” saidLouis Picker, M.D., associate director of the OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. “This latest research suggests that certain immune responses elicited by a new vaccine may also have the ability to completely remove HIV from the body.”
The Picker lab’s approach involves the use of cytomegalovirus, or CMV, a common virus already carried by a large percentage of the population. In short, the researchers discovered that pairing CMV with SIV had a unique effect. They found that a modified version of CMV engineered to express SIV proteins generates and indefinitely maintains so-called “effector memory” T-cells that are capable of searching out and destroying SIV-infected cells.
T-cells are a key component of the body’s immune system, which fights off disease, but T-cells elicited by conventional vaccines of SIV itself are not able to eliminate the virus. The SIV-specific T-cells elicited by the modified CMV were different. About 50 percent of monkeys given highly pathogenic SIV after being vaccinated with this vaccine became infected with SIV but over time eliminated all trace of SIV from the body. In effect, the hunters of the body were provided with a much better targeting system and better weapons to help them find and destroy an elusive enemy.
“Through this method we were able to teach the monkey’s body to better ‘prepare its defenses’ to combat the disease,” explained Picker. “Our vaccine mobilized a T-cell response that was able to overtake the SIV invaders in 50 percent of the cases treated. Moreover, in those cases with a positive response, our testing suggests SIV was banished from the host. We are hopeful that pairing our modified CMV vector with HIV will lead to a similar result in humans.”
The Picker lab is now investigating the possible reasons why only a subset of the animals treated had a positive response in hopes that the effectiveness of the vaccine candidate can be further boosted.
The OHSU Foundation’s Circle of Giving is reaching out to community members with educational programs about research. Susie Porter, Dr. Lisa Coussens, Patti Warner and Barry Menashe had a chance to catch up during one outreach gathering. It was held at the home of Sue and Barry Menashe in SW Portland. Dr. Sue Coussens explained her pioneering cancer researcher on the role of immune cells and their mediators as critical regulators of cancer development.
At the Coussens Lab researchers have found, “During the early development of cancer, many physiological processes occur in the vicinity of ‘young tumor cells’ that are similar to processes that occur during embryonic development and to healing of wounds in adult tissue, e.g., leukocyte recruitment and activation (inflammation), angiogenesis (development of new blood supply) and tissue remodeling. During tumor development however, instead of initiating a ‘healing’ response, activated leukocytes provide growth-promoting factors that typically help tumors grow. We are interested in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate leukocyte recruitment into neoplastic tissue, and the subsequent regulation those leukocytes exert on evolving cancer cells.”
OHSU fundraisers are hoping to hold more in-home informational sessions to help build interest in the university’s outstanding research programs.
OHSU has designated two independent nonprofit foundations — the Oregon Health & Science University Foundation and Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation. The foundations exist to secure private philanthropic support to advance OHSU’s vital missions, and to invest and manage gifts responsibly to honor donors’ wishes. Each year tens of thousands of donors contribute millions of dollars in financial support to OHSU through these organizations. The foundations also oversee the efforts of hundreds of volunteers who participate in community-based fund-raising programs and events supporting OHSU.
This broad range of support places OHSU among Oregon’s top beneficiaries of private philanthropy. And it makes the OHSU Foundation, with more than $650 million in assets, one of the largest public university foundations in the Northwest.
The OHSU Foundation also administers a separate grant-making program, the Medical Research Foundation grants and awards, supporting biomedical research statewide in Oregon. On average, 10 grants of up to $40,000 each are awarded quarterly with one annual grant of $75,000. Three additional awards honor outstanding biomedical research mentors and investigators.
Both the OHSU Foundation and Doernbecher Foundation are governed by boards of trustees made up of business, civic and philanthropic leaders. Trustees are responsible for formulating long-range goals and policies while a full-time staff manage day-to-day operations.
This year OHSU will also be celebrating its 125th anniversary with events such as an exhibit at the Oregon Historical Society Museum March 14th — June 3rd 2013.
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