The X Ball

Latin dancers, larger-than-life puppets, mojitos, and sangria helped 250 guests get into the carnival spirit at the The X Ball Latin Fiesta held at the Omni William Penn Hotel to support FRAXA, the Fragile X Research Foundation and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC Fragile X Center. In addition to entertainment by Azukar and DJ Spike Riel, actors Dan Grimaldi of The Sopranos and Ignacio Serricchio of General Hospital “really got the crowd going,” says Michele Cox, one of the dinner chairs. And there wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Cox’s husband Jim spoke about their son’s diagnosis with Fragile X, a genetic condition similar to autism. “It was about accepting people for who they are,” she says. Photos by Megan Wylie.