Next Hershey Hearts Meeting - March
The next meeting will be held on March 17, 2001 from 1:00-3:00 PM in Dining Room C and D in the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Hershey Hearts signs will be posted in the Cafeteria to mark the rooms. For those in need of childcare, we will again provide childcare. The babysitting service will be located in Dining Room A and B. Please call 1-800-864-2349, mailbox #3388 to RSVP by March 9 , 2001 if you plan to attend. Please mention the number and ages of children for childcare.

The format for the March meeting will be similar to previous meetings. A short amount of time will be spent
on Hershey Hearts business, followed by a time for sharing. Please plan on attending the March meeting. 

A Letter from the President
By Rich Reinsburrow
Since our last edition of the newsletter we have had one change to our Board. That is that Stacie Smith has come on to fill the position of Secretary. It has been an exciting few months since our last newsletter. We have organized some CHD Awareness Day events at the Hershey Medical Center. We are planning for our March support group meeting. The second annual Basket Bingo will be held in April. We are planning to hold the "Heart Beat Auction" separate from the annual picnic week, and we are in the process of planning the annual picnic. These are the events currently scheduled. If ever anyone has
suggestions for events please call the "800" number.

CHD Awareness Day - February 14, 2001
By Joelle Scholl
As a member of Hershey Hearts you may already be aware of the importance of February 14th this year. Many states have had proclamations signed that this day be Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day (CHD Day).  Pennsylvania is one the those states. Our thanks goes out to all the parents who advocated for national recognition of CHD. To get more information on this you can visit www.tchin.org.  

As a parent of a child with CHD, I have been working with Penn State Children's Hospital at Hershey Medical Center and The Children's Heart Group on behalf of Hershey Hearts to have an event held at the hospital. Through all of our efforts and cooperation, I am proud to announce that there will be a CHD Awareness Room at the hospital. The Children's Miracle Network Room (cafeteria rotunda) will be open on February 14, 2001 from 2-5 PM
for all to visit. Hershey Hearts will be represented along with many others. The Children's Heart Group, Safe Kids
Coalition, information on the ECMO machine and procedure, photos of the Nyes Road Clinic and exciting new technological breakthroughs are among the plans for this event. There will be information on various Internet connections for families of CHD. Most importantly there will be current and former patients available to talk with about their experiences and future plans. As a parent of a CHD toddler, I find it refreshing and encouraging to hear about the accomplishments of those living with heart disease. Let us not forget the parents, there will be parents present to talk, laugh and cry with.  

As I realize it is not possible for all to revisit Hershey Medical Center for CHD Day, my hope is that we can all raise awareness no matter where we are on February 14th.  Talk about CHD among coworkers, play groups, church, the grocery store or any where you can. CHD is not a reason to be silent. The more awareness we raise, the less afraid we need to be to send our children into the world with his/her "chest protector" on. We would all love to keep our children in our protective bubbles, but the reality is that we cannot. We need for others to be aware of the protection they may or may not need, the care they need and most of all the normalcy they deserve.

We have all been through a trying time and many of us have a long road ahead of us, let us celebrate on February 14th. Let us celebrate the accomplishments, no matter how small, our children have achieved and most of all celebrate the joy our children have brought into everyone's lives. Let us make everyone aware of the "HEART" of our days. 

Visitation Program
By Kelly Houtz
The Visitation Program continues to be well received by the families that we visit. A BIG THANKS to the volunteers and all that you do!! The schedules beginning in March 2001 and ending in October 2001 will be mailed to you soon. For those of you that are not involved and would like more information on the Visitation Program, please contact April Weaver at
 (717) 627-1229 or e-mail at nontradmom2001@netscape.net or Kelley Houtz at (717) 657-7098 or e-mail at bhoutz@paonline.com.

Treasurer's Report
By Tom Teeter
In our last newsletter, I reported to you that our bank balance as of August 25, 2000 was $16,799.59. Since this last report, we have had income totaling $1,548.54, including general donations of $1,415.00, donations for the upcoming basket bingo fundraiser of $65.11 and proceeds of $68.43 from our Redner's Markets' save-a-tape program.

Our expenses from the prior report have totaled $2,858.27. Included in these expenses were $1,348.41 for costs associated with the basket bingo to be held in a few weeks. We also spent $200 for the purchase of music videos for the HMC pediatric section and approximately $225 for our participation in the CHD Awareness Day event. Our general operating expenses, including the newsletter printing and mailing, were $1,084.86.

Our ending bank balance as of January 15, 2001 was $15,489.86.

We thank all of the individuals and organizations that continue to assist us through their generous donations and all of those who support our fundraising efforts. It is only with your involvement, whether it be with your money, your time, and/or your talents, that we can help the children and their families and achieve our goals.  As always, if you know of anyone who would like to make a donation to us or contact us for any other reason, our mailing address is:
Hershey Hearts
P.O. Box 163
Hershey, PA 17033-0163

Children's Heart Group: Nyes Road Relocation
By Mary Lou Box
On January 1, 2001, the Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Group relocated their outpatient practice to Nyes Road in Lower Paxton Township. Most of you should have received mail notification of the move. The physicians have formally changed the name of the practice to The Children's Heart Group. The move was done to provide a more comfortable setting for our patients and their families, to accommodate a growing practice and to allow for all outpatient services to be available in one location.  

Services to be provided at Nyes Road are: all out patient clinic visits for the pediatric cardiologists, postoperative visits for Dr. Myers patients, EKG, holter and cardiac event monitors, echocardiograms, stress tests, pacemaker check and fetal echocardiograms. You can also call the Nyes Road office for: prescription refills, contact with your physician or the nurses, scheduling, verifying, canceling, rescheduling of appointments, test results and insurance or billing questions.

The Children's Heart Group will still be part of the Hershey medical Center and the Penn State Children's Hospital for all inpatient services including: hospital admissions, preoperative surgery visits, surgery, cardiac catheterizations, transesophageal echocardiograms (TEE), tilt table tests, electrophysiology studies (EP/Ablation) and pacemaker placement.  

Office and Clinic Hours - 8AM - 4:30PM
Address: Children's Heart Group
121 North Nyes Road, Suite D
Harrisburg, PA. 17112
Phone: Main # - 717-531-8674
Toll Free # - 1-866-244-2273 (1-888-CHG-CARE)
Website: childrensheartgroup.com

The building is new and spacious. Ample free parking is available. We hope to provide your child with continued quality care in more pleasant surroundings and we look forward to many more years of service to all of you.

Basket Bingo
By Terisa Johnson
The day is fast approaching for our 2nd Annual Basket Bingo. We had a great success last year and had lots of fun. I'm hoping to have a bigger and better bingo this year. We are still in need of a PA system. The bingo is scheduled for April 29th at the Red Lion Senior High School in Red Lion at 2:00 p.m. We will be selling tickets real soon. They will be $12.00 a ticket. If anyone is interested in helping to sell tickets or has someone that would like to sponsor a basket, a full sponsor costs $60.00 and a half sponsor is $30.00. In exchange for monetary donation, they will be recognized as the sponsor of a particular basket. We also need some help filling baskets with gifts. If interested, please contact Terisa Johnson, 2006 Hope Drive, Red Lion, PA 17356. Should you have any questions, please contact Terisa at (717) 244-2317 or at terisasbaskets@blazenet.net.

Hershey Hearts Phone System
By Beth Dundorf
Ok, you've called the Hershey Hearts voice mail (1-800-864-2349 ext. 3388) and left a message. Now you are wondering if anyone will ever return your call? I'd like to say YES, however, this is a message system and we all need to be aware of some important points when leaving a message. Please speak clearly, and spell any unique names. List the address, spelling again if necessary. Please make sure you let your phone number you wish to be called at. Also remember that this is supported by volunteering,  so you might not get a call that same day, or even that week. I try to retrieve the message weekly. My goal as the Communication Chair is to address all calls as necessary, but I need the information to do so.

Dear Pediatric Corner,
By Christopher Kile
Hi! My name is Christopher Kile of Pittstown, Pa. My 26th birthday was May 19th. 2000. My one-year anniversary for my open-heart surgery has passed. I continue to get better and better each day. I thank Dr. John Myers for this, if it hadn't been for him I wouldn't be here today. I still try not to over due it, especially in the summer. Since my surgery I have two pen pals. We met through the August issue of my article in 99'. My pen pals are from Harrisburg and Scranton/Wilkes Barre area.

I still see my heart Doctor up here in my local hospital (Wilkes Barre) Pa. Dr. Zangwell and Zachary are very good to me and I think they are very cool Doctors'. If any Hershey Hearts Patients would like to write me with questions I would answer them as best I can. 
My address is:
Christopher Kile
32 Heather Highlands
Pittston, Pa 18640-3136
Thank You.

"Welcome to Holland"
By Emily Pearl Kingsley
This story is called "Welcome to Holland" by Emily Pearl Kingsley 

She wrote: "I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability to try and help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it might feel. It's like this...

When you are going to have a baby it's like planning a fabulous trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, Michelangelo's David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands and the stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland!" 

"Holland?" you say. "What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy! All of my life I've dreamed of going to Italy!" 

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is, they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guidebooks and you must learn a whole new language and you will meet a whole new group of people you would have never met. It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy, but after you've been there for awhile and you catch your breath, you look around and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy and they're all
bragging about what a wonderful time they had there and for the rest of your life you will say, "Yes. That's where
I was supposed to go... that's what I had planned."

The pain of that will never ever go away because the loss of a dream is a very significant loss. But if you spend the rest of your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, lovely things about Holland.

My Story
By Staci Smith
The beginning of new life, I dreamed about you day and night I felt you move and smiled at you in delight; One exciting day we checked on you; We found out your life in utero, shortly would be through.  

I saw those brilliant eyes, tears where streaming down mine, they whisked you away, the thought of us apart shot a sword through my heart. 

I checked on you, all these tubes and wires, my precious boy You give me such joy. They don't know whats wrong, they send you along, to another hospital that can help sick little babies like you, once again we were apart, and they tell me it is your heart.

My heart is broken along with yours I finally got to see you again, The fear entraps me I scream "NOT AGAIN" I collapse walking over to you and wail, my sweet precious boy I'm so sorry. I regain my self, and finally get to hold you I felt a love so deep, I never knew, I too become to sick to be with you, I must leave, I will be back in what seems years to me. 

I wait and sob and try to imagine what you felt like just to look at you, just to see, Waiting to be with you once again, I stare at your picture and dream and sob, I am really sick they say, I curl up and dream of your sweet fingers toes, the tears in my eyes forever grow.

FINALLY I SCREAM, I am out of my prison, I am once to be rejoined with the other half of my heart, We will never, ever be apart. I am finally at your side, I was so scared you would change, 7 days have fallen, we snuggle together never ever
to be apart. For we are forever united on earth, in Heaven and always in my heart. 

Luke Henry Smith,
7 lbs, 14 oz. 20 1/4 inches
December, 4, 1997.
The true Love of My life.
To make a scary, negative yet exciting story into something more special.

Coming Events and Reminders

Mark you calendars for the following events in 2001:

¤ CHD Awareness Day Wednesday, February 14, 2001.
¤ Hershey Hearts Support Group Meeting Saturday, March 17, 2001 at Hershey Medical Center. Please
RSVP by Satuday, March 9, 2001.
¤ Hershey Hearts Basket Bingo Sunday, April 29, 2001 at the Red Lion Senior High School.
¤ Hershey Hearts Picnic Saturday, July 21, 2001 at Hoffer Park in Middletown.
¤ Hershey Hearts Support Group Meeting Saturday, October 20, 2001.
¤ Board Meetings are held the third Monday of every month.

If you know of a family that would like to receive the newsletter or would like to be removed from the mailing list, please call 1-800-864-2349, mailbox #3388. If you are moving or have an address change, please also call the Hershey Hearts 800 number to give the correct address.

 If you have any questions, suggestions, or entries for the newsletter please call Hershey Hearts at 1-800-864-2349, mailbox #3388 number and someone will return your call.