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LIFE/ tEJte Cl^arlstte $aait
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
i|VIiracles evade explanation,
|t)ut are always welcome
^^ontinued from page 1B
cancer treatments tiy
^;;to produce. But because a
biopsy was never done, it
was also possible that the
lump was another type of
tumor that regressed, said
Dr. Katherine Matthay, a
pediatric oncologist at the
university.
Since leaving the hospital,
Brandon has been a bundle
of energy, constantly jam-
■Ifning on his keyboard and
“’playing with his 5-year-old
'brother Ryan, his mother
'"iaid.
On a recent shopping trip
^ to the mall, Brandon asked
” Santa Claus for a Lilo &
Stitch doll. His mom says he
'■'"Can look forward to a train
’ set and building blocks, too.
' The Connors plan a quiet
'Christmas Day at home,
thankful that the dark cloud
“ ■ 6f Brandon’s dLness is gone.
' 'Then, theyll fly to Missouri
' to visit relatives who haven’t
seen Brandon in months.
■■■"- Sometimes Kristin Connor
i. feels survivor’s guilt about
"^■"fheir good fortune while so
-ftiany other children are suf-
' fering. She has raised
"$150,000 for research into
^‘"rare childhood cancers.
“We were given a miracle
- to help these other children,”
^e says.
”• ' For Tim Kaczmarek, a 48-
year-old father from
"Natrona Heights,
' 'Peimsylvania, hearing his
own heartbeat is Kving proof
of his second chance at life.
- The history teacher and
basketball coach collapsed
inside a Wal-Mart store this
summer after a massive
heart attack that nearly
killed him. After emergency
quadruple bypass surgery at
a local hospital, he was
transferred to the University
of Pittsburgh Medical
Center where doctors
reopened his chest and
implanted a mechanical
pump.
The device immediately
took over his heart’s job of
pumping blood through the
body, letting his own organ
rest. Doctors fully expected
Kaczmarek to stay on the
pump long enough to get a
heart transplant.
There have been cases of
heart patients who were
weaned off the pump, but
usually those had only a
brief recent history of heart
failure. Kaczmarek was an
unlikely candidate for such a
recovery because he had suf
fered his first heart attack
almost 10 years earlier.
But after a month and a
half on the pump, doctors
saw such improvement in
his heart function that they
rmhooked Kaczmarek from
the machine.
“It’s relatively unusual to
see a patient like him recov
er from a major heart
attack,” said Dr. Robert
Kormos, who runs the artifi
cial heart program at
Pittsburgh. “It was a pleas
ant surprise to find that he
had enough cardiac reserve
to be able to heal and have a
good, functioning heart.”
Pump-free since July,
Kaczmarek is recuperating
at home in hopes of retiun-
ing to teaching next year and
ultimately, coaching again.
He feels lucky to have a sec
ond chance at spending the
holidays with his wife and
two daughters, ages 20 and
22.
“It’s a miracle,” he said.
“You can’t believe something
like this happens to a person
and you’re still here to talk
about it.”*"
Two years ago, Stacey
Perrotta discovered a myste
rious lump in her stomach.
Sometimes it stuck out Hke a
golf baU. It never hurt or
bothered her, and when she
pushed it, she could hear it
pop back in. For four
months, she tried to ignore
it, hoping it woidd go away.
Finally, a week before a rou
tine doctor’s checkup, she
told her mother.
Stacey was referred to the
Golisano Children’s Hospital
at the University of
Rochester Medical Center
where a scan revealed a
large tumor. Not knowing if
it was cancerous, surgeons
removed the softball-sized
mass.
The diagnosis was devas
tating: Stacey had desmo
plastic small round cell
tumor, a rare cancer normal
ly found in teenage boys.
Only 20 percent with the dis
ease survive.
Doctors in Rochester had
never treated anyone with
this cancer before. They
pored through the medical
literature and consulted
other cancer specialists.
Then they decided on a
course of treatment that
included extra high doses of
chemotherapy followed by
radiation.
‘When I started looking at
how kids with this disease
did, I thought, ‘Oh boy. This
is not good. This is going to
be tough,”’ said Dr. David
Korones, a pediatric oncolo
gist.
Doctors credit Stacey’s pos
itive attitude as aiding in her
recovery.
People have a natural
capacity to heal, said Dr.
Herbert Benson, a professor
of medicine at Harvard
Medical School and presi
dent of the Mind/Body
Medical Institute at Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical
Center in Boston.
“Many times, we, as physi
cians, are surprised about
how well a patient will do,”
said Benson, who was not
one of Stacey’s doctors. “I
believe that medicine has to
leave the door open for belief
and self-care to add to the
awesome contribution to
healing that drugs and
surgery can do.”
During her six months of
treatment, Stacey felt nau
seous and feverish and need
ed several blood transfusions
because of her dangerously
low blood count. Her last
round of chemo was halted
because she was too sick.
Through it all, she man
aged to joke about losing her
hair.
“I never really thought of
dying,” said Stacey, now 17.
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Kids advocate for other children
and themselves
E very child wants a
home,” says 12
year-old Cronetta. ‘‘So
help the children in the
world because everybody
needs a parent.”
Cronetta and her broth
er Robert, age 10 are
spokespeople for chil
dren in foster care who
are waiting for adoptive
families in Mecklenburg
neighborhoods. They
know what it feels like to
be waiting - they are
waiting for parents to
adopt them.
“Cronetta is insightful,
engaging, and outgoing
- she has a strong sense
.A
.1 :• -I*
Cronetta and Robert are two of many children waiting
to be adopted in Mecklenburg County.
of responsibility, appre
ciates guidance, and has
a positive outlook on
life,” says long-time
friend Evelyn Dillard.
“Robert has an engaging
smile, pleasant personal
ity and has a special
interest in
music.” Both
Robert
in the church choir
together,
“I love my brother, he’s
always been part of my
life,” states Cronetta. “I
want to be adopted into
the same family with
Robert.”
If you are interested in
finding out more about
Cronetta and Robert or
other children awaiting
adoption, call Mecklenbuig
County Department of
Social Services at 704-
336-KIDS (5437).
Communities for Families & Kids
MECKLENBURG COUNTY
DEPARTMENT Of SOCIAL SERVICES
YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES DIVISION
We couldn’t be your voice
in Washington without being your
neighbor in North Carolina.
AARP. Creating change in our community
From community service
programs. to consumer
protection and nursing home
reform, AARP is working
hard to create positive social
change where it’s needed
most — in every community
We’re fighting to protect healthcare
for our most vulnerable citizens,
battling predatory lending, supporting
grandparents raising children and
advocating for prescription drug
assistance. Get in touch with us to
learn more and to find out how you
can help.
A4RP North Carolina
The power to make H better.’’
Cal! us at 9I-9-7S5-9757 or visit our Web site at www.aarp.org/nc.
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