Doctor who lost home in LA fires healed by love of her patients

"They are all my third child," is how Dr. Jesse Berry describes her young patients at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. 

Berry is a devoted physician and mother of two who specializes in the treatment of retinoblastoma. It’s a cancer that begins in the back of the eye and most often afflicts children. For Dr. Berry, medicine is a calling.

But in January 2025, it was disaster that came calling. Dr. Berry and her family had minutes to evacuate the home they loved, nestled in the trees of Altadena. A wildfire was raging, fueled by Santa Ana winds. The family fled and got a hotel room for the night, safe from the explosive fire. 

But soon, the grim reality emerged. "Our neighbors texted us, our block was on fire. Overnight we watched our town burn… and burn… and burn."

Two weeks after Dr. Berry’s home burned to the ground, we met to talk about the loving support she received from her community of patients. She expressed gratitude for the thoughtful notes, gifts, and support she’d received from current and past patients. 

Meghan Yount of Rancho Cucamonga was there too. Her young son, Kayden, was treated by Berry, beginning when he was just a baby. Today he’s thriving, playing sports and eager that day to order an In-N-Out Burger. Yount was just one of the patients who rushed to help their physician when they heard her home was in ashes.

Yount said, "You mean so much to my family and extended family, you saved my boy."

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