Holliston localtownpages
Vol. 3 No. 4
Postal Customer Local April 1, 2015
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Special Olympics in Holliston April 10
By Grace, They Saved Grace
Local Couple to Run Boston Marathon to Thank BIDMC NICU
By J.D. O’Gara
By J.D. O’Gara Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. They hadn’t heard of the term. Before August 31, 2013, Rebecca and John Caruso, marathoners who’d met as part of the 2002-2003 Dana Farber’s Boston Marathon team, who’d married and had two beautiful girls, Deanna and Emma, weren’t aware of this type of brain injury, one that was discovered when their third little girl, Grace Antonia, was born with difficulty breathing. Thankfully, not only was the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) familiar with the term, the team of medical professionals there knew enough to treat Grace with a revolutionary, and what Grace’s parents now believe was a lifesaving therapy. “At the time of her birth, she was having difficulty breathing, and they put her on oxygen,” says Rebecca. “They thought she had swallowed fluid, but
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Shown is 19-month-old Grace Antonia Caruso. Born with a brain injury to Rebecca and John Caruso, “Gracie” was spared further injury by a cutting-edge, lifesaving treatment. Without it, her parents believe she’d be much worse off, and to say thank you to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, they are both running this year’s Boston Marathon to raise money for the BIDMC NICU Newborn Fund.
then she started having seizures. As parents, we really didn’t know what was going on,” The physicians in the NICU approached the Carusos about trying an experimental procedure on Grace – a cooling therapy known as hypothermic treatment for people with brain injuries.
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“They put her on a cooling bed, so not only her brain, but her whole body, to reduce any inflammation in the brain, any significant problem she might be having. They do this for three days straight, and at the end they
grace continued on page 8
The Special Olympics are coming! On Friday, April 10th, starting at 9:15 a.m., about 80 Special Olympians from Holliston, Millis, Medway, Ashland and Medfield, from grades 3-12, will be honored as Holliston hosts the 5 Town Special Olympics School Day Games to its town. For the third year, these five towns are collaborating to make this event one these children will never forget. With open ceremonies kicking off at 10 a.m. at the Holliston High School Field House, about 30 Special Olympians will be from Holliston itself. Students will compete in track and field events, including a 45-meter run, an obstacle course, a throwing event, a standing broad jump, and even a one-push propel for wheelchair. Their day will even include a yoga station, a photo booth to commemorate the day’s activities and arts and crafts. “Newbie,” from New Balance, will also be there. “We have a really strong presence in terms of our student ath-
letes,” says Holliston Student Services Director Meg Camire. “Our community is really supportive of our student athletes, and it’s a real peer-to-peer event in terms of supporting the Special Olympics’ mantra, and really stressing the importance of inclusion.” Camire explains that, in Holliston, students from the Best Buddies program as well as Captains from the Captains’ Council are volunteering to buddy up with Special Olympians. Millis’s five Special Olympians also have volunteer buddies from Millis High School working with Them, says Susan Donovan, Director of Special Education in Millis. Teacher Allie Sears is helping the students train, and space to train has been donated by Kids Turf. All of the Special Olympians from the five towns are training with the aid of a video Holliston middle school physical education teacher Brandon Kwas prepared
olympics continued on page 6
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