Gift-of-LIfe Baby Is Fine But Was Late for Her Party
• Supper Party Last Night Celebrates Success of Life-Saving Operation
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
Gift of Life baby Ana Victoria with her mom, Ana Carolina, at a Nutley's welcoming party last night. Nutley Rotary sponsored several events to raise the funds for a delicate life-saving operation for the baby. The operation was a success and the mother and baby are expected to soon return to their home in Panama. Pictured are Rotary President John Gizzo and Jo-Ann Andriola who chaired the fund-raising effort. [Additional photos at bottom of this page.]
May 3, 2010 – Nearly 150 well-wishers turned out early this evening to wish Nutley's "gift of life" baby godspeed as she prepares to head home to Panama after a successful heart operation. Unfortunately, baby Ana Victoria arrived nearly two-and-a-half hours late for the afternoon party and most of the guests had left.
But about 50 people were still there when the smiling baby Ana Victoria arrived with her mother and host family. Included among the well-wishers were members of the sponsoring Rotary Club, riders with the Blue Knights, volunteers from VFW Post 493 who catered a supper-time meal and student members of the Nutley High Interact Club.
"This was an all-around community effort," Assemblyman Scalera said. We should all take pride in working together to save the life of a baby girl. We're looking forward to seeing Ana Victoria strong and smiling." Scalera, a state assemblyman, is a 15-year-member of Nutley Rotary.
Baby Ana Carolina and her mother, Ana Carolina, arrived at Newark Airport from Panama on March 4. The trip was funded by the 100-plus riders in last fall's motorcycle run and the Nutley Rotary.
Arrangements for the trip and host family were finalisted by Allen Feehan, the founding director of the Gift of Life program. Feehan, who was at the yesterday's celebration, said 1,100 children so far have been brought to the United States.
Within a few days of her arrival, the seven-month-old infant underwent an emergency operation for tetrology of fallot at St. Joseph's Hospital. She spent several weeks recovering with a bi-lingual New Jersey host family who assisted mother and child during the difficult post-operative recovery.
Baby Ana Victoria was smiling brightly as her mother opened the doors of the arriving car shortly before 7:3o p.m. News photographers snapped away pictures and the crowed that had gathered in the parking lot of the VFW Post applauded. Commissioners Tom Evans and Alphonse Petracco extended an official greeting and welcome in behalf of the town.
Nutley Rotary members along with the Blue Knights and police departments from 12 different N.J. departments are already committed to bringing another "gift of life" child to America for the life-saving operation. Organizational plans already are well underway for an even larger motorcyle run this fall. The date is Oct. 3.
"All this has happened because the Nutley community and and all these organizations came together to make this happen,. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart," Jo-Ann Andriola said
