Birthdays

 

 

 

Gary Miller was ebullient to report the upcoming arrival from Baton Rouge of one of his daughters with two of his grandchildren in tow. He was also elated that his wife Debbie will retire from the Southington Board of Education today, June 23rd!

 

Joanne Santiago was buoyant in thanking Don Bonner and Gary Miller for their excellent work in producing the recent installation dinner.

 

Rollie Sterrett expected we would be happy to hear his joke. As beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is funny in the ear of the behearer. You be the judge!

 

Phil Worley is having a great time in his new position at the Northwest Hills Chamber of Commerce and forgives Bill Barnes for stealing his thunder.

 

 

 

Joanne Santiago introduced Mr. Andrew "AJ" Jones as a friend of her daughter Joelle. Mr. Jones, AJ as he prefers to be called, is a graduate of the University of New Haven and has a passion for fitness and health. He is also a survivor of cardiomyopathy, a muscle disease of the heart, congestive heart failure and a heart transplant recipient. With his foundation, "Hearts At Large" AJ hopes to raise awareness of the unique challenges of transplant recipients and of tissue donation generally.

 

AJ chronicled his experiences including being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in 2012, eventually leading to congestive heart failure and the need for a new heart. In 2015 he spent 4 months in the hospital awaiting his transplant, but unfortunately no donors with a suitable heart became available. With his original heart dramatically worsening there was little choice but to opt for temporary implantation of a ventricular assist device, while continuing to await a suitable donor heart for permanent transplantation.  The "ventricular assist device" of VAD, requires an external power source which he had to carry or wear at all times. Finally on 9/21/2016 AJ had his transplant however development of scar tissue necessitated a third open chest surgery recently, though his new heart is otherwise functioning well. A recent biopsy verified this and his anti-rejection medications have since been reduced.

 

AJ reported that while in Hartford Hospital he made a choice not to indulge in self-pity, but instead to discover his "entrepreneurial spirit."

He started a charity, "Hearts At Large" with the mission of raising awareness of the importance of tissue donation as the biggest gift one can give.

He noted that there are 120,000 people waiting for organs across America with inadequate numbers of potential donors available. Interestingly,

and unfortunately, the percentage of those willing to commit to organ donation is not uniform across the country with some states and regions producing much higher numbers of potential donors than others. For example, Washington state boasts 86% of residents as donors, Montana 82%, Massachusetts 55%, Rhode Island 54% and Connecticut just 43%. Hearts at Large has as one of its goals to inspire people to become tissue donors. They also hope to develop and promote needed services for patients pre-operatively, as well as post-operatively as they transition to the lifestyle of the transplant recipient. It is important to remember that transplant patients are not out of the woods yet after their transplant surgery as they must take immuno-suppressive medications and may need to remain in the hospital for an extended period. As AJ says, you must turn into a "germophobe" to be successful in managing your health after transplantation and while still on these medications. Disease susceptibility is heightened in transplant patients and in some cases one must also avoid excessive sunlight as it may react with certain medications resulting in adverse consequences in the body.

 

So far this year, Hearts At Large has raised $35,000.00 and was recognized as the top charity in a competitive giving program held at West Farms Mall. Hearts at Large has developed a scholarship fund to support students with interrupted educational lives secondary to the need for tranplantation, and in honor of AJ's grandmother who unfortunately died just 2 1/2 weeks before his heart transplant. In AJ's words, "I was her first order of business when she got up there." Hearts at Large also believes that transplant patients should stay in touch with each other through a network they've established to provide mutual support and encouragement before and after surgery. AJ met his friend Danny Dietz in the same cardiac rehabilitation facility and they have stayed in touch.

 

AJ's closing message is "I hope to let people know how important it is to be an organ donor, and the profound gratitude I feel in being a successful recipient."

At the conclusion of AJ's talk a number of Rotarians had questions for him however, it was Capri Frank's question which stood out for its significance. Capri asked: "Why is the percentage of Connecticut donors so low?" To which AJ replied, "It turns out, to my surprise, that its not a reason one might think, such as religion. Instead the experts believe the way the opt-in process is handled at the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles is the main reason. With so many people so disgruntled and aggravated during contact with the CT DMV, they are thought not to be further amenable to considering something like this at that time. The opportunity is then lost."

 

If true, one must be aghast to realize that our bureaucracy may be costing people their very lives. Let's pray this situation changes, and soon!

 

Learn more about "Hearts At Large" at:  Facebook.com/HeartsAtLarge and at:  @HeartsAtLarge (Twitter & Instagram)

Learn more about AJ at: https://www.youtube.com/user/arj3191/about

Contact AJ at: HeartsAtLarge@gmail.com

Donate to Hearts At Large by mailing a check to: Hearts At Large, 2 Farmington Ridge, Farmington, CT or via PayPal at HeartsAtLarge@gmail.com

 

 

There was a great deal of correspondence this week! It included:

 

- A letter dated June 1st from Poppy Drive Chairman & Past VFW Post Commander Lee M. Wilson thanking the Club for its "very generous donation" to their Annual Buddy Poppy Drive 2017.

 

- An email dated May 29th from Jenny Henneberry of Avon, CT thanking the Club for its scholarship award, which will facilitate her matriculation into St. Lawrence University. She is the youngest of four children and last to enter college.

 

- A handwritten, undated letter from Jordan Lazinski of Avon, CT thanking the Club for its scholarship award, which will facilitate his matriculation into Syracuse University. A Boy Scout, and incipient Eagle Scout, Mr. Lazinski is also a member of the National Honor Society.

 

- An undated letter from Terri Eickel of the Connecticut Sports Foundation, thanking the Club for its sponsorship of its 2017 Cycle Against Cancer at Tribe  event, which was held on October 22, 2016. In total, CSF has raised $172,000.00 so far this year from six cycling events it has held in support of Connecticut cancer patients. A logoed T-Shirt sporting their logo was also provided.

 

- An email dated June 13th from Nancy Carlson, Volunteer Outreach Manager of Gifts of Love CT was received detailing their work to improve the plantings at the Avon Senior Center. Our Club has been repeatedly supportive of Gifts of Love CT programs.