This heart is covered by depictions of Venetian glass beads in millefiori patterns as a tribute to this South Bay Italian American’s memory of family visits to San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood over the past six decades to revel in the flavors of our grandparents’ birthplaces in Italy. A subtle reference to “il Tricolor” also adds to memories of living our heritage through family-style dining with visiting relatives (and scaring them to death driving the hills to North Beach).

This heart was decorated in support of the efforts of the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation to raise critically important funding through their "Hearts in San Francisco" campaign for their mission to promote research, education, and care for all at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. Visit the foundation at www.sfghf.org.

In my work with a community-based AIDS service organization serving Santa Clara County in the 1990's, we benefited greatly from the leadership and example provided by the San Francisco model of AIDS care at San Francisco General Hospital. I have never forgotten this.