Story Summary He now plays wheelchair sports, appears on television and attends college. He embodies the hope and confidence families and children find at Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Born with brittle bone disease - osteogenesis imperfecta, or OI, a genetic bone disorder blamed on a lack of or abnormal collagen in the bones, causing them to break frequently and easily - Cabacungan has been part of the Shriners family since he was 2 months old.

Alec, a patient of Shriners Hospitals for Children - Chicago, has become a popular television star, been interviewed on numerous national news and talk shows, and has captured the hearts of many with his adorable smile and charming personality. Alec lives in the suburbs of Chicago, and is quite the active teenager.

On National Superhero Day 2023, the Baskin-Robbins Joy in Childhood Foundation surprised and celebrated Sebastian, a patient and local superhero at Shriners Children's Southern California, as its newest Pint-Sized Hero! Sebastian is a 14-year-old who was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta when he was an infant.

Specialty Care a Family Can Count On Now, Kaleb can ride a bike, climb, and race. He's even learning to stand and walk! Personalized specialty care has changed the course of Kaleb's life. And Shriners Children's has changed his parents' lives too.

Alec, a patient of Shriners Hospitals for Children - Chicago, has become a popular television star and has captured the hearts of many with his adorable smile and charming personality. The Filipino American lives in the suburbs of Chicago, and is quite the active teenager.

Shriners have stepped forward in recent years to complain about improprieties at some of the 191 local temples affiliated with the Shrine, including the commingling of charitable and noncharitable assets and the disappearance of money raised for the hospitals.

"It'll be with me for my life. I'll live with it until I die." That's what brought Cabacungan to Shriners in the first place – a rare genetic disorder called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, better known as brittle bone disease. His parents, Alma and Gill, got the news before he was born.

American Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

Hollywood is also home to some famous Shriners. “Gone with the Wind” actor Clark Gable and the famous Western actor John Wayne were both members of the Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Musicians Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Johnny Cash all call themselves Shriners as well.

Founded in 1872, the organization now known as Shriners International was established as a Masonic fraternity that showcased fun and fellowship for its members.

The highest position on the Imperial Divan is the Imperial Potentate. This position is a one-year term serving as the president and chief executive officer of Shriners International and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Shriners Children's, the fraternity's official philanthropy.