Contact: Keri Brunelle, (608) 257-1663 or (608) 216-6398
9-year-old heart patient inspires event
WHO: The community is invited to participate in the second annual Push. Pull. Pedal. fundraising event to benefit Herma Heart Center at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
WHAT: Push. Pull. Pedal. is a noncompetitive route (up to five miles) or a fun, one-mile route in Winnequah Park. Participants are encouraged to ride wagons, skates, scooters or bikes.
WHEN: 9 a.m. Saturday, June 12.
WHERE: Winnequah Park, 1012 Nichols Road, Monona, Wis.
WHY: In the summer of 2009, Lola Abu-Shawareb, a 9-year-old from Madison, Wis. was swimming in a local public pool when she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. She was resuscitated at the pool and transported to a nearby hospital. When doctors learned that regular treatment wasn’t working, they placed her on ECMO, a machine that acts as an artificial heart and lung.
At first, it appeared that Lola would need a heart transplant. That’s why doctors in Madison contacted Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to transport her to Milwaukee. After further testing and treatment, doctors in Milwaukee discovered that Lola didn’t need a transplant and were able to take her off the ECMO machine.
Today, Lola is a vibrant 9-year-old who is working to rehabilitate her left arm, using a pacemaker and taking regular medication. With the exception of these lifestyle changes, Lola is functioning as a healthy, active child thanks to the care she received at children’s hospitals in Milwaukee and Madison.
Herma Heart Center has a consistently high survival rate for all children undergoing heart surgery. More than 400 infants with congenital heart defects are born in Wisconsin every year. On average, about 13 percent of these children are part of Madison-area families who seek treatment at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, founded in 1894, is recognized as one of the leading pediatric health care centers in the United States. It is rated No. 3 in the nation by Parents magazine and named one of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals by U.S.News & World Report. Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin is a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons. The hospital has been redesignated a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a national honor that recognizes nursing excellence. Private, independent and not-for-profit, the hospital serves children and families from Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, northern Illinois and beyond. Children’s Hospital is the flagship member of Children’s Hospital and Health System. In 2008, the health system invested more than $114 million back into the community to improve the health status of children. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.chw.org.
Learn more about Push. Pull. Pedal. at http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/event/wisconsin.
