G O L I S A N O C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I T A L A T S T R O N G

U n i v e r s i t y o f R o c h e s t e r M e d i c a l C e n t e r

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S T R O N G K I D S

F E A T U R E DS T O R I E S :

Fall 2006

Helping kids feel like kidsunderstand and manage the stressfulsituation they’re in when a child is inthe hospital,” said Wendy Lane, a childlife specialist and coordinator of thehospital-wide program. “Sometimes thatmeans playing; sometimes that meansshowing a child what a medical proce-dure will be like on a doll; sometimesthat means helping a family saygoodbye.”

Child Life Specialists and otherchild life staff work with patients in theinpatient areas (including the PediatricIntensive Care Unit where the most critical patients stay), the EmergencyDepartment, the surgical suite, the out-patient clinic and the infusion areas.They work with patients who have comeContinued on page 13

From wheelchair to basketball 3

Casting improves joints 5

The Sibling Watch program 8

Plastic surgery heals leg 9

Gala sets record 12

When children have to spend time in thehospital, nothing is normal. Their bedisn’t their normal bed. Their food isn’ttheir normal food. Their mood and howthey feel isn’t normal.

That’s why Golisano Children’sHospital at Strong’s Child Life Programis so important. Playing games on theplay deck, blowing bubbles in a playroom and watching movies in theirpatient rooms are essential activities —for a time, they offer the children a chance to feel normal again. But the job of the Child Life Department ismuch more than even that. It’s incred-ibly varied.

“Our job is to make sure childrenand families are comfortable and can

2

Dear Friends —What exciting times we live in! Most of the human genome has

been sequenced; the molecular bases of disorders like cystic

fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and polycystic kidney disease

have been determined; stem cells from adult tissues may hold

the promise of a cure for disease of people of all ages.

the therapy of childhood nervous systemcancers and apply what we learn aboutimmune system embryonic developmentto the conquest of adult diseases likelupus and lymphoma. Our research, youwill read, is basic, clinical, and “trans-lational” (bridging-the-gap) biomedicaland social science. In the classroom, wetrain medical students, residents, andfellows to access and acquire newknowledge, not just to memorize today’sfacts, because what is state-of-the-arttoday may be obsolete tomorrow.

What is absolutely certain in all ofthis is that we could not do any of thisalone. We depend on and remain evergrateful for the support of the GreaterRochester community in all of ourefforts. Having recently moved toRochester, I can tell you that what youhave and what we have together arevirtually unique — a perfect synergyamong the community, the Hospital, andthe University and Medical Center Whatbetter role model could there be for ourchildren as they forge ahead into adult-hood? You joined us on Liftbridge Laneat the Fairport Music and Food Festivaland you encouraged your children toenter our coloring and kid-namingcontests. There can be nothing moreexciting than the confluence of purposeand dedication to the health and well-being of our region’s — indeed, ourworld’s — children. As I begin my life in Rochester, I look forward to workingwith each and every one of you towardsour common, critical goal — healthychildren, adolescents, and adults.

Yours truly,Nina F. Schor, M.D., Ph.D.Pediatrician-in-chief

Board of DirectorsHoward Jacobson, Chair *Al Chesonis, Vice-Chair *Dave Christa, Vice-Chair*Robert G. Jacobson, Vice-Chair*Mark Siewert, Vice-Chair *Michael Amalfi*Joseph L. Carbone, D.P.M.Jeffery DavisJohn L. DiMarco IIWanda Edgcomb Harvey B. ErdleTimothy FournierRoger B. Friedlander Jay W. GelbJohn GlynnHeather A. GoodbodyMike GoonanDeborah Haen*Michael HaymesArnold KlinskyTodd LevineKim McCluskiBrian PasleyJames G. Vazzana

FacultyRichard E. Kreipe, M.D.Thomas K. McInerny, M.D.Jeffrey Rubenstein, M.D.

HonoraryJeffrey D. BlanchardJudy ColumbusDiane R. DonigerJohn L. Green, M.D.Richard A. Insel, M.D.Joseph E. KlarbergDonald P. McNelly

Ex-OfficioBradford C. Berk, M.D., Ph.D.Joanne Fioravanti, R.N.Steven I. GoldsteinFrank InterlichiaDouglas PhillipsR. Scott Rasmussen *Nina Schor, M.D., Ph.D.*Elsa Steo

* Executive Committee

Within this veritable explosion of technical capability and biomedicalknowledge, one unifying truth has cometo light: many of the molecular speciesresponsible for common adult diseasesplay a critical role in normal growthand development. What this means is no surprise to any card-carryingpediatrician — the seeds for healthyadulthood must be sown during child-hood. While children are most certainlynot just “little adults,” adults are just as certainly the cumulative product ofprocesses that begin in childhood andadolescence. This is what makes theincreasing incidence of, for example,obesity, heart disease, and diabetes at younger and younger ages so fright-ening.

At every level, we at GolisanoChildren’s Hospital at Strong and ourpartners in the community and regionand at the University of Rochesterapproach childhood healthcare from thisprospective. In our offices and clinicsand on the Hospital wards, we all serveas educators as well as physicians,giving proactive and anticipatory guid-ance to families and children, makingprevention of disease and maintenanceof health our first priority. As you willread in this issue of our newsletter,this family education process all startsbefore birth and, in the NeonatalIntensive Care Unit, includes attentionnot just to parents, but to siblings,as well. In our laboratories, we applyconcepts learned from the study ofAlzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease to

3

Less than 18 months ago, MatthewSorano was in a wheelchair — monthsfrom being confined to a bed — and hestruggled to speak, lost 20 pounds,drooled and fell asleep at 6 p.m. everyday. None of the specialists the familysaw in Albany, Boston and Vermontcould tell them what was wrong. In fact,more than one suggested Matthew’strouble swallowing, fatigue and loss ofmobility were the result of a psycholog-ical problem.

Matthew’s parents, Judy and Stevenof Fort Edward near Saratoga Springs,N.Y., struggled for three years to gettheir middle son, now 13, the care heneeded. One local physician, ShawnJorgensen, M.D., a physical medicineand rehabilitation specialist, volunteeredto take Matthew on as a patient and tobe his advocate in the medical world.

Jorgensen found specialists closerto home and encouraged the family tokeep searching for a treatment, but itwasn’t until they were referred toJonathan Mink, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatricneurologist and national expert in move-ment disorders at Golisano Children’sHospital at Strong, that they found thehope they needed.

“The first thing he said to us was,‘You’ve come to the right place. I maynot be able to give you a definitive diag-nosis, but I can help Matthew,’” Judyrecalled Mink saying to them. Suddenlyhope was back.

Mink immediately saw signs ofParkinson’s disease, a chronic andprogressive disorder of the nervoussystem that causes tremors, slow move-ments, muscular stiffness and poorbalance. Parkinson’s rarely strikesanyone under 40, let alone under 20,but Mink said Matthew had all theclassic symptoms. Mink prescribed a small dose of an adult medication for Parkinson’s.

“Within a week, we knew that it was helping. Since then, it’s been

simply fine-tuning,” Judy said. “Now,he’s walking, he’s talking, he’s eatingfood, he’s riding his bike again. It’samazing the difference in just a year.”

In addition to training in PediatricNeurology, Mink did formal fellowshiptraining in movement disorders in whichhe saw both children and adults withmovement problems. There are fewexperts on pediatric movement disordersin the country, and Golisano Children’sHospital is fortunate to have one ofthem in Mink. He also directed theDeep Brain Stimulation program forParkinson Disease at WashingtonUniversity, so he saw many patientswith Parkinson’s disease before meetingMatthew.

Prior to seeing Mink, Matthewhardly attended school anymore. Now,he goes for five hours a day. He canfinish his own homework, rather thanhaving to tell his mother what to write.

“It is very rewarding to be able tomake such a dramatic difference in thelife of someone like Matthew,” Minksaid. “We rarely have the opportunity to provide treatment that gets kids outof wheelchairs and allows them to play

basketball again. Things are by nomeans perfect for him and we have notprovided him with a cure. However, wewere able to improve his quality of lifesubstantially.”

Not all the patients of the PediatricNeurology Division at GolisanoChildren’s Hospital have rare diseases.A wide variety of conditions are diag-nosed and treated, but the most commonare seizures and headaches.

Elaine Gersz, 11, of Brighton beganexperiencing severe headaches abouttwo years ago. Because she also has bad allergies, her family and her pedia-trician, Correne Wirt, M.D., first pursuedthe possibility that the headaches werereactions to an allergen.

When all possibilities wereexhausted, and one headache lasted two weeks and included a day-long visitto the emergency department, Wirtreferred Elaine to Golisano Children’sHospital at Strong’s Pediatric NeurologyDivision. There, Elaine, her mother,Marsha Raines, and her father, StevenGersz, met Allison King, M.D., andLauren Zwetsch, N.P., and Elaine was

Hospital’s neurology division offers hope

Above: Elaine Gersz’s migraineheadaches used to control her; now, she controls them.

Left:MatthewSorano wentfrom wheel-chair towalking under Dr. JonathanMink’s care.

Continued on page 14

4

Announcing our contest winners!

Thanks to all who submitted to our conteststhis September — we’re proud to unveil thewinners!

Kid’s Coloring Contest

Kids’ Coloring Contest, sponsored by ESL Federal Credit Union awarded $500 savings bonds to first-place winners in each of three age categories: 4 and younger, 5 to 8 and 9 to 12.Winning submissions are pictured above and at left.

Name Sandy’s Friends Contest

Local artist John Kuchera first designed Sandy Strong back in the ’70s. Before long, we realized she was pretty lonely andfixed that by creating some friends to keep her company.Unfortunately, we were so excited to give Sandy new friendsthat we forgot to name them!

Thanks to Steven Campione Jr., 9, of East Rochester andOlivia Spence, 4, of Fairport, the waiting is over. Below are thenewly named friends. We made sure to send them home withsome goodies, too — an iPod nano, a one-year family member-ship to the Strong National Museum of Play and a doll of thefriend they named, created by local artist Shanna Murray,who creates boutique children’s clothing and toys centeredon character development (visit www.twotrees.etsy.com).

To see more contest winners and entries, visitwww.gchas.org.

9 to 12 years old Amy Aldwinckle, 12, Geneva

4 and under Teagin Brandes, 4 years old, Wellsville 5 to 8 years old Alexis Baker, 8, Rochester

Michael Miracle

“My brother’s named Michael — he’s autistic, and has come a long way. It’s a miracle!” Steven Campione Jr., 9

Anna Wellagain

“It gives hope and meaning to why we go to the hospital.”Olivia Spence, 4

▲

▲

5

NIX 100.5 RADIOTHON

Arthritis usually conjures up pictures ofthe elderly with twisted and unbendablejoints, but those complications are notisolated to the elderly. Children, even asyoung as 5 years old, can end up withwrists so inflamed and painful that theylose mobility, and sometimes even themost advanced medication, occupationaltherapy and high-tech splinting doesn’twork.

That’s when occupational therapistDana Emery, O.T.R./L., pulls out low-tech plaster and casts the joint.“This isn’t what casting was meant for,but it has been working well for patientswho haven’t responded to other treat-ments,” said Emery, who works withGolisano Children’s Hospital at Strong’spediatric rheumatology and immun-ology clinic through a partnership withthe upstate New York chapter of theArthritis Foundation. “It’s difficult forsome of our young patients to keepsplints on enough to make a differencein the range of motion; this way, theycan’t even think about taking it off.”

Young patients with chronicdiseases such as arthritis and lupus oftenexperience intense pain in their wrists.To compensate they curl their hands in,particularly when asleep. Over time,that can shorten the tendons and liga-ments on the inside of the wrist, makingit difficult to extend their wrists past thestraight (or neutral) position. Mostoften, patients will take medication andperform exercises to combat theproblem. But that doesn’t always work.The next step is to splint the joint with aremovable custom-made brace. That canalso be unsuccessful, especially ifpatients take off the splints too often.

“That’s when we consider casting. It isn’t the best choice for all our patients,but when all else fails, it’s wonderful tohave the option,” Emery said.

Emery initially worked with chiefoccupational therapist Kathy Stoklosa,M.P.A., O.T.R./L., who, citing medicalliterature, suggested casting the patients.

Since early this summer casts have beenused on three pediatric patients. Emeryputs the casts on the first day aiming forfive to 10 degrees past where the childcan hold her wrist on her own. On theseventh day, the cast is removed. A newcast is put on, again at five to 10 degreespast where the child can hold her wriston her own. The final aim is for 70degrees past the straightened joint, andso far, the casts have been successful.

The success has led Emery and therest of the team to consider otherdiseases they see in the clinic, such asscleroderma, an autoimmune diseasethat hardens the skin and often othertissues such as blood vessels. SamanthaFisher, 13, of Irondequoit, received herfirst cast Sept. 29. Her range of motionhas been impacted mainly in her rightarm; she is only able to hang from themonkey bars with her left arm.

Lori Fisher, Sam’s mother, agreedto the casting regime, despite it not

being a common practice for patientswith scleroderma.

“It’s not invasive. It’s not medicine.It’s not surgery,” Fisher said whenexplaining why she was quick to agree.

Plus, the pair had big plans to deco-rate the casts each week until Sam hasregained as much motion as possible.

“We’re fortunate to have an innova-tive occupational therapist in our clinic,and we’re encouraged by the results ofthe casting treatment so far,” said DavidM. Siegel, M.D., M.P.H., chief of pedi-atric rheumatology and immunology atGolisano Children’s Hospital at Strong.“Without the support of the upstatechapter of the Arthritis Foundation,which provides a grant to pay forDana’s time in the pediatric rheuma-tology clinic, patients wouldn’t haveimmediate and free access to the kind of care she provides.”

For more information on arthritis,visit www.arthritis.org.

Casting helps treat kids with joint complications

Dana Emery casts Sam Fisher’s elbow to help the teen regain flexibility she has lost to scleroderma.

resistance.“The treatment of strep throat needs

to be tailored for the patient. Firstgeneration or older cephalosporins havea smaller failure rate for a first-timeinfection; however, for a patient withrecurrence or multiple infections in aseason, a second or third generationcephalosporin or Augmentin is probablybetter,” Casey said. “These antibioticscan be costlier, but when parents factorthe potential cost for another office visit,cost of another antibiotic, cost of morelost work, day care or school, itbecomes much less a factor.”

Children who receive penicillin to treata strep throat infection are two to threetimes more likely to relapse than thosewho receive cephalosporin, a newerantibiotic. Amoxicillin fairs onlyslightly better than penicillin with afailure rate of 24 percent.

“A strep infection can be verypainful for children and worrisome forparents whose kids can run high fevers,”said Janet Casey, M.D., a pediatrician atElmwood Pediatric Group and a clinicalassociate professor of Pediatrics atGolisano Children’s Hospital. “Relapsesmean more pain and more missedschool for the children, and for parents,it can mean missing more work andmore pay.”

Casey, one of many communitypediatricians engaged in research at theUniversity of Rochester Medical Center,is the author of a study on the effective-ness of some often-used antibiotics onGroup A beta-hemolytic streptococcaltonsillopharyngitis, or strep throat, thatwas presented at the InterscienceConference on Antimicrobial Agentsand Chemotherapy in San Francisco atthe end of September. The study, whichwas co-authored with MichaelPichichero, M.D., a professor ofMicrobiology and Immunology at theUniversity and a pediatrician atElmwood Pediatric Group, will bepublished in Clinical Pediatrics.

Strep throat infections are commonamong children between 2 and 18 years

Penicillin, Amoxicillin losing effectiveness

against Strep, newer antibiotics recommended

6

old. Symptoms include sore throat,fever, headache, abdominal pain,vomiting and swollen tonsils andglands. More than 1,000 children withpositive rapid strep tests or positivecultures participated in the studybetween September 2004 and June 2005.Of those who took penicillin, 36 percentrelapsed, 24 percent with amoxicillinrelapsed and 13 percent relapsed withcephalexin. Antibiotics should be usedonly in patients with a positive rapidstrep test or culture. Antibiotic treatmentof sore throats without a positive strepculture needs to be avoided because itresults in overuse of antibiotics and thepotential development of antibiotic

At Kohl’s enter the unforgettable world of Dr. Seuss when you purchaselimited-edition books and exclusive plush toys for just $5 each.

7

so they would not have to tell a singlegolfer hoping to help the hospital thatthere isn’t enough room.

The Golf Classic wasn’t the onlygolf event to benefit the hospital:• B&L Wholesale Golf Tournament,June 28 raised $100,000.• Otter Lodge Golf Tournament, July18, raised more than $5,000.• WNY Optics/Photonics Golf

Expanding the annual Children’sHospital Golf Classic to four coursesthis year was a complete success,raising $225,000 and bringing togetheralmost 500 players!

It was such a wonderful GolisanoChildren’s Hospital at Strong event thatno one thing could be considered thehighlight: “The absolutely perfect daywith respect to weather, the wonderfulturnout, the fact that we achieved ourgoal of expanding the tournament tofour golf courses and the featured pres-entation that evening that reminded usall why we were there,” said MikeGoonan, chair of the event, boardmember and chief financial officer of theUniversity of Rochester Medical Center.

The popularity of the annual tour-nament, held Sept. 11, inspiredorganizers to add a fourth course to theevent this year — Monroe Golf Club,Irondequoit Country Club, RavenwoodGolf Club and Greystone Golf Club —

Tournament, July 20, raised $9,000. • Guido’s Pasta Villa’s Annual GolfOuting, July 30, raised $3,600.• Tim Milgate Charity GolfTournament, Aug. 7, raised $18,600.• Kaufmann Golf Tournament, Aug.28, raised funds for the PediatricSurgical Suite.• Frank Dianic Golf Tournament,Sept. 15, raised more than $4,000.

Summer golf events a giant success

Phot

os p

rovi

ded

by M

ark

Mue

nch.

Fairport Music and Food Festivaldoubly goodWhat a celebration! Villagers savored one of summer’s finalweekends, enjoying scrumptious eats and musical treats tothe benefit of Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong.

The festival featured:• Three stages, 20 different entertainment acts (bands

including: blues, jazz, rock, disco and pop — not tomention, children’s entertainers).

• 24 food vendors, offering a fusion of Fairport favorites:pizza, wings, fried bologna, lobster foccacia, greens andbeans, tacos and more.

• Free children’s activities. • 100 stellar event-day volunteers. • 7,000 attendees, who together raised $30,000 for donation

to Golisano Children’s Hospital — more than double lastyear’s total ($13,700)!

For more photos from the event, visit:www.gchas.org/news/FMFF.cfm.

Phot

os p

rovi

ded

by D

ave

Barr

one.

8

An early delivery or a sick newborncaptures a lot of attention, in most casescausing well-meaning family, friendsand neighbors to flock. But when achild’s stay in the Neonatal IntensiveCare Unit (NICU) becomes extensive,the support sometimes dwindles off andchild care issues surface.

“Parents just can’t be in two placesat once. Those with older children aresplit between much-needed bondingtime with their NICU son or daughterand finding someone to watch the otherkids,” said Chris Tryon, NICU child lifespecialist at Golisano Children’sHospital at Strong.

And, since children must be 3 yearsold or older, pass a health screeningcheck at each visit, and have theirimmunizations on record with thehospital in order to visit the unit, it’squite a bit of work to make sure they’rehealthy enough to bring inside. Evenafter siblings are allowed in, the NICUmay be overwhelming. They may alsostart to resent their young siblings formonopolizing their parent’s attentionand disrupting the family’s life.

Tryon and colleague Lori Snyder,a social worker who focuses on NICUfamilies, watched parents and oldersiblings struggle long enough — whynot establish a “sibling watch” programthat offers in-hospital childcare servicesto NICU families and gives older

Rain couldn’t dampen spirits on Miracle Weekend

siblings needed attention? “Lots of people have seen news

stories and wanted to get involved —people that, before the program, had noidea that a NICU was even here,” Tryonsaid. “But as soon as they did, theywanted to help.”

Tryon and Snyder, after a year ofplanning, finalized details and figuredout a way to staff a summer-long pilotprogram. With the help of Jane Walshfrom the Friends of Strong volunteerorganization, they targeted junior volun-teers who, though interested in theNICU, were not quite old enough towork with the sick and prematureinfants.

Sibling Watch launched on June 28and ran through the end of August. The

service offered care through advancedsign-up on Monday and Wednesdayafternoons and used a gated-off sectionof the Family Waiting Area adjacent to the NICU.

Kids ranged from 18 months to 10 years olds. The program followedstrict daycare guidelines (especiallyheeding the 1-to-5 staff-to-child ratio)and implemented a parental pagingsystem for emergencies and an ID bandand sticker system to make sure theright kids are sent home with the rightparents. The junior volunteers, who hadtoured the NICU as part of their training,benefited from having a first-hand graspof how delicate, high-tech and volatilethe NICU atmosphere could be. Becauseof it, they appreciated their role in thehospital’s support network and werehappy to have some relaxing playtimewith NICU siblings — paying themattention and sharing an afternoon ofsculpting Play-Doh, pushing around Hot Wheels, or plopping down with thekids to share a good book.

Brittney Stanley, 17, of Holley, wasone of those volunteers who enjoyed herWednesday afternoon Sibling Watchpost. Now a high school senior, she saidshe hopes the experience will lend somesparkle to her resume, when she appliesto Utah State University this fall withplans to major in child psychology.

Sibling Watch program helps NICU families

Continued on page 14

Giovanna Johnson of Rochester visits her daughter, Kanea Nixon, in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Phot

o by

Meg

an D

ailo

r.

Lori Snyder and Chris Tryon are thebrains beind the NICU sibling program.

9

Robin Finch, mother of four, used to be an unflappable senior typist in an emer-gency room in Buffalo. She had developedan incredible way of keeping her cool,even while checking in people in the mosttragic of conditions. She had to.

Little did she imagine, back then,that one day the roles would reverse andshe would be the frenzied, franticparent, checking in one of her sons andhoping for a relief, comfort, a miracle,anything.

Last September her youngest son,Bayley, only 5 years old and a day shyof kindergarten, left his mother’s sidewhile they were waiting to cross AngellRoad.

“I had my arm out, in front of him,to check traffic. When I turned my headback, I saw him being hit,” Finch said.“I kept thinking, ‘that’s not my son,’hoping it wasn’t happening.”

Finch shouted to her oldest child tocall for help, and then immediately ranto check on Bayley. He was lying in theroad. Conscious, but in shock, hecouldn’t feel anything.

“I’ll never forget his little voiceasking ‘am I still alive, Mommy?’”

Whole again: Putting thepieces back together

Finch said. “He had an open leg frac-ture, muscle hanging by its skin,wounds on his left ankle where youcould see the bone. It wasn’t until I sawhim wiggle his toes that I had a firstlittle wind of hope.”

Bayley was brought to Erie CountyMedical Center by Star Flight. He wasregaining sensation. Bayley was stabi-lized in Buffalo, but there was stilluncertainty. Would infection set in;would the leg heal, would Bayley needan amputation?

To answer those questions, theFinches were transferred to GolisanoChildren’s Hospital at Strong, wherepediatric plastic surgeon John Girotto,M.D., also director of the Cleft andCraniofacial Anomalies Center and thePediatric Plastic Surgery Team, took the case. Bayley needed the coordi-nated, team care of many specialists,and Girotto outlined a comprehensivetreatment plan — and backup plans —and presented them to the Finch family.

Girotto would supervise Bayley’smultiple surgeries, many of which wereconducted just to stabilize his wounds.Jonathan Gross, M.D., M.P.H., was

recruited from Strong Memorial Hospitalto work on the orthopaedic end, platingand fixing the broken bones.

But, since Bayley had lost significantamounts of muscle, tendons and softtissue, the toughest part still remained —how would they close Bayley’s wounds,and make him whole again?

With the support of HowardLangstein, M.D., a gifted microsurgeonand chief of Strong’s Division of Plasticand Reconstructive Surgery, Girotto’steam transferred muscle and skin fromBayley’s abdomen to his leg — a grueling,all-day surgery that proved an absolutesuccess. In the days that followed, Girottotransferred additional skin grafts fromBayley’s left thigh to cover wounds on his left knee and left ankle.

The concerted effort paid off.Thanks to Girotto and a team of special-ists — along with the help of anin-hospital tutor who kept him up tospeed in his studies and a faithful fatherwho took six weeks off work to staynearby— today Bayley is an energeticfirst grader who plays in gym class withno restrictions, rides his skateboard andworks hard to do his little brother dutyof tagging along, keeping up.

But somehow, Finch said, even all ofthat stunning progress — Bayley’s abilityto keep on track with his education,to regain a normal level of mobility—Continued on page 14

Bayley Finchwith his parents, Robinand Shaun.

Dr. Girotto

there are immediate measures you cantake to protect children in your home:• Secure all top-heavy or unstablefurniture with anchoring equipment,such as brackets, screws, toggles, orindustrial-grade Velcro.• Tie loose cords up and keep themaway from kids, who are apt to trip overor yank on them.• Make sure the base is strongenough to support the television set,and that the set is placed as far to theback of the stand as it will go.• Store heavy items in lower shelvesand drawers.• Don’t give kids a reason to climb;avoid keeping the remote control,a favorite toy or other tempting items on top of furniture.

“It takes such a small sliver of timefor an accident to happen, but we seeinjuries from falling objects all thetime,” said Anne Brayer, M.D., who co-directs Rochester’s Injury Freeprogram with Cimpello. “Parents must

take caution and secure televisions,bookstands, everything with theslightest potential to tip.”

Help Keep Kids Injury Free

The Injury Free Coalition for KidsRochester is a child injury preventionprogram based at Golisano Children’sHospital at Strong, where it draws onrich experience of co-directors AnneBrayer, M.D., and Lynn Cimpello, M.D.,who both practice pediatric emergencymedicine.

Stationed in Monroe County, whereunintentional injury is the leading causeof death in children less than 18 yearsold, Injury Free Rochester welcomesyour support. To find out how you canmake Rochester a safer place to growup, visit www.injuryfree.org, or callKaren Knauf, program coordinator,at (585)275-9748.

10

Child-proofing devices abound: cabinetlocks, door knob covers, faucet scaldprotectors, outlet covers and, of course,safety gates.

But even with all of these safe-guards in place, other subtle yet seriousdangers still lurk in the home — they’reseemingly innocent items, like book-shelves, dressers, armoires and TVs,that tip over much easier and moreoften than most parents expect.

In fact, the U.S. Consumer ProductSafety Commission (CPSC) estimatesthat between 8,000 and 10,000 people nationwide pay a visit to their localemergency room every year for injuriesrelated to furniture tip-overs. Themajority of those victims are kids,and on average, six are killed. The CPSC announced in September that the number of TV tip-over fatalities alone — which are just a part of allfurniture-related tip-over cases — hadalready reached 10, twice the expectedyearly average.

“As parents, we admire our children’s curiosity, their spirit ofadventure,” said Lynn Cimpello, M.D.and co-director of the Injury FreeCoalition for Kids Rochester atGolisano Children’s Hospital at Strong.“But unchecked, their exploratorynature can pose big risks. When kidsbump into and try to climb up or ontotelevision stands, dressers, bookcasesand other pieces of furniture, accidentshappen. The furniture just isn’t built towithstand that kind of weight or play.”

The consequences can be deadly,but there’s a ray of hope: they’repreventable. Proposed national legisla-tion, if passed, would require that allfuture furniture items at risk for tip-overbear warning labels and be sold withanchoring devices. In the meantime,

As winter forces us indoors, beware offalling furniture, other hidden home dangers

Drs. Anne Brayer and Lynn Cimpello are co-directors of Injury Free Coalition forKids Rochester.

11

Pediatric community celebrates former chairThe evening of Sept. 9 started withheartfelt speeches and ended with amusical tribute from Rochester pediatri-cians — a fitting celebration of Elizabeth“Lissa” McAnarney, M.D., the sixthchair of the University of RochesterMedical Center’s Department ofPediatrics. Her time as chair and pedia-trician-in-chief of Golisano Children’sHospital at Strong ended as she handedthe baton to Nina Schor, M.D., Ph.D.,who became the seventh chair Sept. 1.

The dinner, held in the RochesterRiverside Convention Center LilacBallroom, was attended by about 350people, a who’s who of the pediatric and philanthropic communities. Theevening’s speakers ranged fromUniversity President Joel Seligman and Medical Center CEO Bradford C.Berk, M.D., Ph.D., to hospital namesakeand Paychex founder Tom Golisano and Michael Weitzman, M.D., formerassociate chair of Pediatrics here andnow chair of Pediatrics at New YorkUniversity.

Of course, there was no shortage of fun, with a group of GolisanoChildren’s Hospital pediatricians led by Craig Mullen, M.D., Ph.D., chief of pediatric hematology/oncology,serenading McAnarney with “MonaLisa” (reworked into “Mama Lissa”)and “In My Life.” Another group fromRochester General Hospital, CaptainDave and the Northsiders, led by DavidSiegel, M.D., M.P.H., chief of Pediatricsat RGH, dressed in stage costumes andsang a reworked version of “Rhythm of

the Rain.”“We’ll miss you but we know

you’re not going too far. In fact, you’reonly down the hall. You’ve earned sometime to think and write, and savor life.We want you to just have a ball,” Seigelsang, with other pediatricians backinghim up.

After the performances, faculty andstaff presented McAnarney with severalthoughtful gifts, including a memorybook and artwork by patients. And, tohonor McAnarney’s 13 years of dedi-cated service as chair, Howie Jacobson,chair of Golisano Children’s Hospital’sboard, announced that one of hospitalmascot Sandy’s friends would be namedLissa. As he presented her with PaulKnoblauch’s artistic rendering of the

little redhead, he noted that one ofMcAnarney’s greatest accomplishments— a unified pediatric community —was demonstrated earlier in the night.

“You won’t find another event inRochester in which RGH and Strongwould share a stage,” he said.

Left: Tom Golisano, hospital namesake,enjoys the pediatricians’ performances.

Right: Howie Jacobson, chair of thehospital’s board, announces that Sandy Strong’s red-haired friend is now “Little Lissa.”

12

Annual Children’s HospitalGala raises $460,000

Special thanks to our major sponsors

Presenting sponsor

ESL Federal Credit UnionDiamond Sponsor

Anthony J. Costello & son/USAirports Air Charters

Platinum Plus Sponsors

The Cabot GroupWilliam and Mildred Levine FoundationPalmer FoodsPlatinum Sponsors

Rolla & Kirsten HuffJackson Welding Supply Co. Inc.Polisseni FamilyRainaldi Brothers, Inc.Music Sponsor

Preferred CareSilver Sponsors

B&L Wholesale Supply Co., Inc.Bank of America Private BankConstellationHammer PackagingNextelPaychexPlastic Surgery/Pediatric Craniofacial TeamSiemensSiewert EquipmentTops Markets/Martin’s Super Food Store

A record 960 guests attended 19th annual Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong’sGala Oct. 21, and the hospital netted a record $460,000 in donations. Guests weretreated to an expanded event, which sprawled across two hangars at USAirports on Scottsville Road for the first time this year.

Gala guests were able to better mingle during the silent auction portion of the evening because an entire hangar was devoted to it. In addition to the wonderfulitems up for bid in the silent auction, guests also had the opportunity to purchaseitems in the hospital’s wish list area. This area featured everything from CD playersand activity tables to help provide entertainment for our patients to high tech equipment to help provide the best care to our children.

Mark and Marcia Siewert, good friends and supporters of the children’s hospital,served as honorary chairs. Mark Siewert is a dedicated board member who serves on the major gifts and corporate committees. The couple donated to both the newsurgical suite, naming the kite-lined entrance hallway after their son Mark Daniel,and to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, naming the family waiting room.

Howie Jacobson, chair of the children’s hospital board, once again served as thelive auctioneer during the dinner portion of the evening. There was plenty of activityas guests tried to outbid each other for items such as a spectacular Hearts on Fire diamond ring donated by Cornell’s Jewelers, a party for 100 at Richardson’s,a Tops Market shopping spree, the ultimate spa experience donated by Del MonteSpa and Lodge — just to name a few. Another highlight of the live auction wasbidding for the butterflies made by Rochester artist Paul Knoblauch. The butterflieswill be displayed in the children’s hospital. At the completion of the auction, guestsenjoyed an evening of dancing to music by Nik and the Nice Guys.

The gala is the hospital’s premier event of the year and the largest singlefundraiser. ESL Federal Credit Union served as the gala’s presenting sponsor for thefourth year. Their contribution along with the hundreds of sponsors, live and silentauction donors and guests, helped create a spectacular and very successful evening.Next year’s gala will be held on Oct. 20, 2007.

Continued from cover

Child life staff

here for a whole spectrum of reasons,ranging from a simple check-up tochemotherapy treatments to recoveryafter a car accident.

They teach patients and familiesabout upcoming medical procedures,such as what it will be like when theyreceive a bone marrow transplant, andthey arrange for special activities on theplay deck to keep kids feeling like kids.They also help adolescents, who arenavigating the tricky line between child-hood and adulthood, find ways to dealwith their illnesses and occupy theiractive minds.

It’s that loving care and attention todevelopmental needs that inspired arecent donation to the program fromRolla and Kirsten Huff. The couplerecently toured the hospital and wereinspired by the behind-the-scenes workdone by the Child Life staff.

“Children being comfortable andfeeling secure in their environment ishugely important to getting over theirillnesses,” Rolla Huff said.

Kirsten Huff said the business worldhas taught them both that shrinking

budgets can affect programs like this.“We can’t let that happen.”

The Huffs, who are parents, decidedthey wanted to ensure the program’sfuture, so they did something a littlemore creative than the average donor —they endowed a gift. Endowing a gift

allows money to be released annuallywhich makes the program more stablethan a one-time gift does because theprogram can count on receiving moneyinto perpetuity.

Nina Schor, M.D., Ph.D., pediatri-cian-in-chief, has placed a priority ongrowing endowments within the hospitaland the Department of Pediatrics andhopes the Huffs’ gift will inspire more.

“There are many benefits for donorsin endowing a gift, especially if theendowment is earmarked for a program,whether clinical, research, or combinedin nature,” Schor said. “It’s a verypersonal gift because the donor can have an ongoing relationship with theprogram or person they are endowingand gain inside insight into the develop-ment of new services, medical andscientific knowledge, treatments andpreventive strategies.”

Endowment donors, like the Huffs,can assure that good work goes on intoperpetuity.

For more information on endowinga program or chair, please call (585) 273-5948.

13

TOPS Markets increased their giving this year, wowingus with a check worth more than $27,000 to help ill and injured kids here at Golisano Children’s Hospital.The money was raised during their two-weekfundraising campaign, selling orange and yellow CMNballoons and holding various fundraisers at their 19locations (including one MARTIN’S Super Food Store).

TOPS joined as a CMN partner last year and their enthu-siasm has set a fine example. Beyond paper balloonsales, TOPS has extended support as a major sponsor in the 2006 Radiothon in February, and this Octoberwere proud sponsors of the 19th annual Gala (they alsomade additional donations to the Gala’s silent and liveauctions).

CMNNews

Above: TOPS “never stops” helping raise healthy children. Left to right:Dan VanAuker, store manager, Jefferson Road TOPS; Todd Nettnin, storemanager, Mt. Read Boulevard TOPS; Jack Kelleher, Director of Operationsand Merchandising.

14

Continued from page 8

Sibling watch program

“The afternoons zipped by,” Stanleysaid. “The parents were grateful, and the siblings felt special.” She and othervolunteers were impressed with theprogram’s organization and felt a keenawareness of the fact that they werehelping in not one, but two ways: easingthe stressors of seeking child care anddispelling the old “boring hospital”stereotype that might have soured intosibling resentment.

During its three-month pilot, theprogram served one-third of NICUfamilies; some parents commented thatbecause of it, their older children, for

the first time, actually enjoyed having to head to the hospital.

Given the success of the SiblingWatch program pilot, Tryon and Snyderare exploring ways to expand it withnew volunteers and extended servicehours. You can get involved, too; justread below to find out how.

Did you know?The 52-bed Regional Neonatal Intensive CareUnit is the only one of its kind in the FingerLakes Region. It’s a highly specialized,nationally recognized center providing thehighest level of care available to 1,200 sick or premature newborns every year!

Get InvolvedHelp a NICU Family: “An Evening of Wine andWishes”

Join us 7 to 10 p.m on Saturday, March24, at the Memorial Art Gallery for an eveningdevoted exclusively to the tiniest patients atGolisano Children’s Hospital at Strong. The wine-tasting event will provide a chanceto meet and mingle with Neonatal IntensiveCare Unit staff, reflect and celebrate theprogress the NICU has made over time, and most importantly, learn of future needs,wishes and how you can play a key part ingranting them. For more information on theevent, contact Betsy Findlay at (585) 273-5933or Karen Eisenberg at (585) 273-1462.

wouldn’t have been enough. Somethingstill would have bothered her.

“For the longest time, all I thoughtabout was his perfect body on the dayhe was born. As a mother, I couldn’tstop wanting that back,” she said.

A counselor at the children’shospital helped Finch free herself fromsome of that blame.

“They asked me, ‘if you’d known,wouldn’t you have done everything inyour power to prevent it?’” Finch said.“Of course, my answer was yes, Icertainly would have, to which thecounselor came back with, ‘And sincethere was no way you could haveknown, it can’t possibly be your fault.’”

That made sense, helping her withsome of that guilt, Finch said. But thewounds, though improving, were stillghastly reminders, and somehow, theyhad a cruel way of digging back up allthat hurt.

Anticipating this, Girotto and histeam committed to follow-up surgeriesto continue erasing the scars. Thesurgeries continue, even today.

“Healing really happens in twoarenas — the physical and theemotional, but they’re incredibly inter-

twined.” He says, “That’s why we workso passionately to help put the piecesback together so kids and families cango on to live the best quality of lifepossible, feeling and looking wholeagain. For Bayley, we wanted him to beable to head off to school with plenty ofconfidence.”

Today, a few surgeries later, Bayley’sleg bears only a small scar — and withtime, and more surgery, the visiblereminders of the accident will fadefurther, becoming even less noticeable.

Hopefully, so will the memories.“We tell him there’s nothing to feel

awkward about — and it’s really true. It really is looking healthier each time,”Finch said.

This summer, Bayley was able towear shorts without embarrassment.

“For a boy who was shy before the accident, that’s no small triumph,”Finch said. “And while we like to saythe surgery is all about helping Bayley,giving him confidence, making himwhole, it’s really more than that. It’shelped all of us. The scars, the memo-ries — they’re all vanishing together.We’re all becoming whole again.”

Continued from page 9

Whole again

diagnosed with migraines. “(Zwetsch) carefully listened to

Elaine’s history,” Raines said. “Shelistened to us. She developed a rapportwith Elaine.”

King and Zwetsch designed acomprehensive approach for Elaine’sheadaches. The family read a recom-mended book, changed Elaine’s diet and began a new medication. Rainessaid King and Zwetsch have been veryaccessible, and Elaine has mirrored herstrength on the basketball court with her strength in navigating newlyforbidden foods and managingmigraines when they begin.

“It’s amazing how a child who was 10 and 11 years old was really an integral part of her treatment plan,”Raines said. “It’s also important toremember that when a child says shehas a headache, it can be just as severeas when an adult says they have aheadache.”

Continued from 3

Neurology

• The Rochester Yacht Club held the annualRochester Regatta on Sept. 20 and raised$2,000 for Golisano Children’s Hospital.

• The 6th annual Frank Dianic Memorial GolfTournament held on Sept. 15 raised morethan $4,000 for the hospital’s cancer researchthrough its four-man scramble at LeRoyCountry Club and 50/50 raffle.

• The Frank Vito Memorial Pasta Dinner Sept.10 celebrated Frank’s legacy by raising $3,700at The Diplomat Party House.

• Gary LaPietra, SUNY Brockport Men’s SoccerCoach, once again organized the annualsoccer tournament to benefit the NeonatalIntensive Care Unit. They battled the torren-tial downpour on Sept. 2 & 3.

• Ed Kaufmann held his annual golf classic on Aug. 28 at Greystone and raised funds forour region’s only children’s hospital.

• The B&B Horse Trials were held Aug. 27 and,again, raised $1,228 to support GolisanoChildren’s Hospital.

• The Fairport Music & Food Festival Aug. 26provided music and fantastic Fairport food tolate-summer festival goers. This awesomeannual event raised more than $30,000 forpatients at Golisano Children’s Hospital atStrong.

• The 10th annual Golisano Children’s HospitalGolf Classic Sept. 11 expanded to four golfcourses and raised $225,000. Thank you forcontinuing to make this event a growingsuccess.

• The Irondequoit Senior Softball League heldtheir annual tournament on August 13 andraised $1,400 for Golisano Children’s Hospital.

• The 7th annual Tim Milgate Charity GolfTournament held August 7 at the DeerfieldCountry Club celebrated Tim’s memory andmade a difference for children at GolisanoChildren’s Hospital at Strong. The golf outingraised $18,620 for the Pediatric Intensive CareUnit.

• The Carnival of Caring Aug. 12 to 18 broughttogether employees from Raytec, Gorbel andRetrotech in Victor for daily entertainmentand to help children at Golisano Children’sHospital at Strong. They raised $6,428.

Special Thanks

15

Many thanks to all of these groups and the countless others that continue to support our region’s only children’s hospital!

• Mommies for Miracles held Dancin’ in theStreets Aug. 19 at Nathaniel’s Pub with funkylocal vendors and four of the area’s hottestbands to benefit Golisano Children’s Hospitalat Strong. They raised $1,000 for the Child Lifeprogram.

• The 2nd annual Flying H Ranch Rodeo July 29& 30 raised $1,467 for the hospital while enter-taining crowds with bareback bronco ridingand calf roping.

• Guido’s Pasta Villa’s annual Golf Outing July30 at Victor Hills Golf Course raised $3,600 forGolisano Children’s Hospital at Strong.

• When Carrabba’s Italian Grill opened inHenrietta Oct. 30 in a grand celebration, the restaurant generously gave the hospital50 percent of its sales, $3,658.

• Pittsford Dance Studio students put on acreative ballet rendition of Bram Stoker’s“Dracula” love story Oct. 28 to benefitGolisano Children’s Hospital at Strong. Theyraised $1,800.

• Graham Lodge and Patrick Booher celebratedtheir 10th year helping us Cruise for a CauseOct. 15 to 22. The tropical excursion benefitsGolisano Children’s Hospital and provides a wonderful opportunity for relaxing fun.

• Evergreen Car Wash gave all customers a free car wash on Oct. 20, and collecteddonations for the hospital. They raised $1,000.

• South Beach Salon held a cut-a-thon for thehospital, donating 100 percent of its salesOct. 14 & 15 to help sick and injured kids.They raised $118.

• Genesee Valley Hunt Races raised funds forthe hospital during its day-long horse racingand family fun Oct. 14 in Geneseo.

• The masterminds behind Comics for Kids didit again this year, holding a laugh-filledevening of comedy on Oct. 13 that also bene-fited the Hematology/Oncology program atGolisano Children’s Hospital at Strong. Theyraised more than $13,000.

• Bellini’s Italian Eatery made its debut in theRochester community, by celebrating thegrand opening of its Victor location Oct. 10 &11 with all proceeds from the opening bene-fiting Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong.They raised $4,581.

• Flower day was again a success Sept. 29,raising $1,987. Many businesses around theRochester area bought carnations to benefitthe hospital. Thank you!

• The Penfield Challenge 5K Sept. 24 raised$600 for Golisano Children’s Hospital atStrong. Many thanks to organizers andrunners.

• Paul Tessoni & Ron Billitier held their annualgolf outing on Sept. 22 and raised $3,775 forGolisano Children’s Hospital! Many thanksfor their tireless planning and to their manysponsors.

Upcoming events

Dec. 15, 6th annual Rainbow Classic

University of Rochester’s Palestra on theRiver Campus. The Pittsford Mendon vs.Pittsford Sutherland High School basketballgame to benefit Golisano Children’s Hospital.Funds are raised in memory of KatelynPasley and Ryan McCluski, and go to supportthe Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. For infor-mation on tickets or the game, call PittsfordCentral School District Athletic Departmentat (585) 218-1062.Dec. 17, Nutcracker on Ice ESL SportsCentre. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 forchildren. For more information, call the ESLSports Centre at (585) 424-4625.Feb. 3, Cycle for Hope 2 This event takesplace at several gyms and health clubsacross Rochester from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It benefits Golisano Children’s Hospital atStrong and Camp Good Days and SpecialTimes. For more information, call (585) 273-5948.Feb. 5, Paul Tessoni’s 5th annual Ski

Invitational Bristol Mountain Ski Resort. For more information, call Linda Dirksen at(585) 273-5939.

PAID

Non-profitUS Postage

Permit No. 780Rochester, NY

Office of Development and Community Affairs300 East River RoadPO Box 278996Rochester, NY 14627-8996

P A R T N E R I N G F O R S T R O N G K I D S