Gretchen Rossi Interview on Slade Smiley’s Cancer Stricken Son Grayson
April 19, 2010
By LBG1

Gretchen and Slade at Astro Boy Premiere

Gretchen Rossi, in a recent interview, revealed she wished Slade Smiley’s gravely ill young son Grayson “lived closer” cause she and Slade would “love to see him more often”. Gretchen also stated “They-Grayson and his mother-live farther away than we’d like, but he needs to be in close proximity to the hospital”.

“We wish he lived closer though since we’d love to see him more often.”

Where does Grayson live? Based on Gretchen’s claims, you’d think Grayson lived on the other side of California or in another state. You’d also think Gretchen and Slade Smiley rarely travel which isn’t the case as, in the past year, the two have traveled to Mexico, Phoenix, New York, Florida, Vegas, and France aside from other numerous trips in sunny California such as outings to Bear Lake, reality celebrity get-togethers, fashion shows and movie premiers.

Grayson and his mom live in Studio City, a distance of 57 miles from where Gretchen and Slade reside in Costa Mesa. According to Gretchen, it’s Grayson and his mom who have to pack up and move closer to Gretchen and Slade in order for the joined-at-the-hip reality tv celebrity couple to see Slade’s terminally ill son more often.

How often has Slade visited his son?

From Reality Tea posted November 4, 2009:

“The mother of Slade’s son however tells a different story, stating that Slade has only seen his sick child twice in the last year and a half, and hasn’t even sent the kid a birthday card.”

As for Gretchen and Slade traveling to see Grayson, Reality Tea posted an item on January 12, 2010.

Slade’s son Grayson was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in 2006.

Kudos to Reality Tea for posting a story on Real Housewives of Orange County’s Gretchen Rossi’s recent interview with Celebrity Baby Scoop. An interview where Gretchen spoke about marriage to live-in love Slade Smiley, children with Slade, and, the relationship she and Slade have with Slade’s young son Grayson, who has been battling terminal brain cancer for several years. And, the relationship Slade has had with Grayson, with Gretchen painting a picture of a father devoted to his young, terminally ill son. Is Slade a “great” father as Gretchen Rossi, in her interview, portrays in her interview?

Evidence, such as court documents, claims made on Slade’s Slade TV website, and Slade’s own actions, prove otherwise. Could it be a case of Gretchen being “blinded” by Slade’s “love”, the inability to see the 1000’s of red flags waving furiously over Slade’s head? Or is there something else in regards to Gretchen and her full-fledged support of out-of-work, deadbeat dad, Slade Smiley? Something in regards to Gretchen’s own “priorities” in regards to Grayson?

I’ve written about Slade Smiley before, of Slade’s propensity for jetsetting while being a deadbeat dad. A deadbeat dad with a young, terminally ill son. The info came from court documents filed by Slade’s ex, the mother of Grayson and from court documents filed by Slade Smiley.

From Slade Smiley, Gretchen Rossi: Real Housewives of Orange County’s Jetsetting Deadbeat Dad?:

During the first season of Real Housewives Slade’s occupation was Assistant Vice President of United Title Company in Newport Beach after working ten years in the real estate industry. In a March 11, 2007, LA Times article Slade stated that he and Jo had signed up for Real Housewives because “it would be good” for his title company’s business.

From the LA Times:

LIKE his neighbors in Coto de Caza, Slade Smiley is used to making things happen. He co-founded a title insurance company, bought a home in the planned, gated community, invited his girlfriend, Jo De La Rosa, a student and loan officer, to move in and proposed they sign up for Bravo’s docu-soap “The Real Housewives of Orange County” because he figured it would be good for business.

The Times article noted that Smiley was a professional cyclist and model. Slade was quoted as stating “I always wondered what would have happened if I stuck with modeling”.

Grayson and his older half-brother Gavin appeared on season one of Real Housewives. Grayson was diagnosed with a rare form of brain tumor one month after the first season of Real Housewives of OC premiered. By season two, Grayson had disappeared from Real Housewives with no explanation from Slade. Meanwhile, Slade’s ex-wife put up a website about Grayson and his illness. Missing from the website, any mention of Slade.

According to the website set up by Grayson’s mom, AmazingGray.org, on May 19, 2006, Grayson was diagnosed with Diffuse Fibrillary Astrocytoma:

What does this mean? Grayson has a primary brain tumor that developed from astrocytoma cells. Diffuse meaning it is what has been described as “sprinkling of cells or what looks like a sugar coating” throughout his brain, cerebellum and spinal cord.

Diffuse Astrocytoma is ranked as a grade II astrocytoma; with Pilocytic Astrocytoma features which is considered a benign variant with excellent outcome requiring surgery only. In contrast to this, this tumor is presenting as a malignant, diffusely infiltrating tumor and clearly does not fall under this simplistic category.

All Neurosurgeons we consulted with concurred that this tumor cannot be surgically removed.

In 2008, Slade’s website, Slade.TV posted this info about Slade’s new charity, The Grayson Foundation along with this info:

Over the last decade Actor and TV personality Slade Smiley participated in numerous charities and children’s based foundations. Unfortunately, in July of 2005 Slade found himself on the other side of the fence when his then 5-year-old son Grayson was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. After dealing with hospitals and care practitioners all over the world looking for a cure and seeing the huge number of families far less fortunate, who were also trying to navigate the ever complicated medical system, Slade decided there must be more that can be done to help.

The Grayson Foundation was born. The Grayson foundation helps create and partner with other child based charities like The Make-A-Wish Foundation and Children’s Hospital L.A. to bring financial support to needy families, helping to cover excessive medical cost and bring awareness to all the medical issues affecting our children today. Slade’s own son Grayson who continues his fight has become one of only two cases in the world with his specific type of brain cancer and there is no cure.

The Grayson Foundation is committed to continuing our fight for the best medical care and support possible for all our kids.

Included on Slade’s website, a link to TheGraysonFoundation.org. Follow the link and you’ll discover the site is a generic website with no info for “The Grayson Foundation”. Using the internet archive site, The Wayback Machine, you won’t find evidence of a “The Grayson Foundation” website.

A search of the California Attorney General’s Office website on all charitable organizations fails to find any reference to “The Grayson Foundation”.

By season three of Real Housewives, Jo and Slade had a new reality show, Jo and Slade: Date My Ex which premiered July 21, 2008 on Bravo. The short lived Date My Ex had Slade residing in a swank condo in LA sporting the latest in tragically unhip wear. Once again, there was no mention of Grayson or The Grayson Foundation by Slade on the show or in the press. Slade’s website, Slade TV did post this tidbit about Date My Ex and what Slade was “up to”:

Slade Smiley, featured in the first two seasons of The Real Housewives of Orange County, he appeared alongside his ex-fiancé, Jo De La Rosa, in Bravo’s dating competition series, Date My Ex: Jo & Slade. In the series, he played host to bachelors wishing to win his ex’s heart. Smiley also was faced with the difficult challenge of helping De La Rosa find a new love as he struggled with the lingering feelings he had for her.

Since calling off his engagement to De La Rosa, he has followed his ex to Los Angeles in order to pursue entertainment opportunities and advise De La Rosa on her blossoming music career as her business manager.

And this,

Smiley is actively involved in several charities, including the Grayson Foundation, which is focused on cancer awareness for children. He has two children, Gavin Race and Grayson Alexander.

Also found on Slade’s, Slade TV website, this bit about Slade and his “ability” to “build” companies then sell them for “huge profits”:

“Best known for his role on Bravo’s television series “The Real Housewives of Orange County, ”Slade is not your average TV personality. He has a long history of building companies and then selling them for huge profits. The publicly traded title insurance firm he was part of sold last year to Land America Title for a reported $235 million dollars. Slade has just finished helping his ex-fiancé and recording artist Jo De La Rosa launch her debut album “Unscripted” and she has already started burning up the charts.”

With Jo De La Rosa’s music “burning up the charts”, the new reality series, Jo and Slade:Date My Ex and Slade’s “wealth” implied as substantial on his website, Slade TV, posted in 2008 you might assume Slade was prosperous while working hard on his new “The Grayson Foundation” and supporting his young son during his battle with terminal cancer. Fortunately, court records have the ability to strip away false truths especially in regards to Slade Smiley. His so-called “wealth”, his claims of “supporting his child” and his true circumstances.

From Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley Engaged? Fairy Tale Romance with Destitute, Indigent Prince?:

The documents were filed after filming for this season of Real Housewives of Orange County ended. And, after Bravo’s TV’s next episode teaser which seemed to imply Slade was set to “pop the question” to Gretchen. One wonders just who will pay for the engagement ring?

Here’s some of what Slade stated in the court documents, documents which are supposed to contain the truth and are a far different scenario than the one Gretchen and Slade have painted with Real Housewive’s viewers:

In the court documents Slade asked the court to lower child support payments, stay all collection efforts and the release of his driver’s license. Slade stated:

-his home was surrendered to the bank in March of 2008,
-on 5/16/2008, Slade was fired from Land America,
-In June, 2008 Slade had a new job in a tv series (Slade and Jo: Date My Ex)
-On June 10, 2008 the IRS gave notice to Slade he owed $104,000 in unpaid taxes. The IRS began garnishing his wages leaving him with $172 a week.
-In August 2008 Slade was employed by Union Security Title as a commission only sales rep,
-Slade was fired by Union Security on 10/8/2008, due to the real estate market collapse,
-Slade’s bank account was closed March 2009.
-Slade hasn’t had income for the past 13 months (this period includes season five of Real Housewives when Slade lived with Gretchen and, when Slade may ask Gretchen to marry him)
-Slade was borrowing money from family until they “could not lend him any more”
-Slade was forced to “surrender” his car in April 2009
-Slade is “currently living with a friend” (Friend, meaning Gretchen Rossi)
-The IRS levy has made it impossible for Slade to meet his child support obligations,
-Slade is both “indigent” and “destitute”.

In her recent interview, Gretchen Rossi spoke about Slade and Grayson:

CBS: Grayson has been fighting inoperable brain cancer since preschool. How is he doing now?

GR: “Grayson is doing as well as can be expected. His condition is always up in the air. He’s been through so many surgeries and procedures, it’s hard to keep count. But through it all, he’s had the most amazing attitude and outlook on life. You’ll never see him down and out about his condition. It’s been really hard on Slade over the years. We can only keep hoping and praying for his health.”

And this:

CBS: How do Slade and his ex co-parent? Do they get along well?

GR: “Grayson lives with his mom and they live close to the hospital in case of any emergencies. They live farther away than we’d like, but he needs to be in close proximity to the hospital.

Slade and his ex both have Grayson’s best interest at heart, although it’s been hard at times. For the most part, things are good between them and they make sure that his health and treatments come before anything.

We wish he lived closer though since we’d love to see him more often.”

Gee, we wish Grayson, Slade’s kid with terminal cancer, lived closer to us so we could see him. Fifty-seven miles is just too far, far away….. Priorities, Gretchen, priorities.

http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2010/04/gretchen-rossi-interview-on-slade-smileys-cancer-stricken-son-grayson/