Panoram Italia's Babies of the Year Montreal 2017

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Babies of the year I neonati dell’anno Bébés

de l'année

2016

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2522, rue Daniel-Johnson, Laval • www.kidbizkid.com

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1-Adriano Zara February 19, 2016 Alena Kroupnik & Adam Zara

2-Leonardo Gattola February 14, 2016 Sara Maselli & Steven Gattola

6-Christopher Michael Courey April 7, 2016 Venessa Renee D'elia & James Courey

7-Valentina Annunziata Morena July 29, 2016 Sabrina & Massimo Morena

3-Felix Niro December 1, 2016 Renata Jafiarova & Mike Niro

8-Isabella Annunziata Morena August 4, 2016 Adrianna & Marco Morena

4-Adriana Carmela Scalia April 13, 2016 Alexandra Ursu & Sam Scalia

9-Milena Marziliano August 21, 2016 Christina Baldassare & Junior Marziliano

5-Luca Joseph Broccolini July 1, 2016 Gen Aboud & Michael Broccolini

10-Arianna Marziliano October 7, 2016 Giorgia & Luciano Marziliano

11-Emma Caltagirone April 9, 2016 Teresa Cerone & Pasquale Caltagirone

12-Annabelle Juliette Delorme September 3, 2016 Jessica Lento & Philippe Delorme

13-Lucas Trignani April 12, 2016 Stephanie Rizzo & Roberto Trignani

14-Vincent Lombardi January 5, 2016 Amanda Achaibar & Nicolas Lombardi

15-Francis Eugene Polacco-Romero July 17, 2016 Stephanie Polacco & Rafael Romero

16-Giulia Vassetta February 29, 2016 Cinzia Mendicino & Pietro Vassetta

17-Noah Camia April 20, 2016 Nadia Del Balso & David Camia

18-Angelica Mambro July 23, 2016 Tina Pezzullo & Attilio Mambro

19-Emma Tennant June 13, 2016 Sabrina Kim Cavallo & Matthew Tennant

20-Aria Maria Calla May 22, 2016 Alissa Marchei & Rafael Calla

22-Victor Carestia July 21, 2016 Anna D'Ambra & Charles Carestia

23-Giovanni Mucciarone January 25, 2016 Maria Di Fulvio & Antonio Mucciarone

21-Bianca Mancini-Bevilacqua March 14, 2016 Maggie Mancini & Tommy Bevilacqua

24-Liam Anthony Buono September 28, 2016 Amanda Di Carlo & Zachary Buono

25-Nicolas Joseph James Ciampini May 27, 2016 Fauve Castagna & Justin Ciampini

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26-Vincent Harmat March 21, 2016 Giulia Rebecca Massa & David Harmat

31-Adriana Rose Pietracupa June 12, 2016 Vanessa Vescio & Stefano Pietracupa

36-Calogero Gentile October 5, 2016 Marisa Martucci & Giovanni Gentile

41-Josie Deborah Adams October 14, 2015 Pina Farinaccio & James Adams

46-Gianluca Vaccaro April 8, 2016 Romina Mancini & Michael Vaccaro

27-Nico Pietracupa March 17, 2016 Kimberly Muia & Maurice Pietracupa

28-Mia Anna Louis July 20, 2016 Cynthia Pucci & Herve Jr. Louis

29-Calogero Domingos Argento February 25, 2016 Jennifer Silva & Liborio Charles Argento

30-Sofia Lina Biscotti February 3, 2016 Amanda Marchei & Michele Biscotti

32-Damiano Mattia Antonecchia July 15, 2016 Valentina Baratta & Deni Antonecchia

33-Adriano Ghaleb April 3, 2016 Cettina Borsellino & Steve Ghaleb

34-Mila Sara De Rubeis November 15, 2016 Jennifer Pontarelli & Davide De Rubeis

35-Maria Michela Maggio March 15, 2016 Cristina Argento & Joel Maggio

37-Emilia Davoli September 3, 2016 Josie Bentivegna & Marco Davoil

38-Aviana Fabio October 10, 2016 Cathy Niro & Michele Fabio

42-Cristiano Michele Farinaccio August 22, 2016 Carla Boyling & Giovanni Farinaccio

47-Gerlando Caltagirone September 14, 2016 Francesca Terrasi & Marco Caltagirone

39-Massimo Michael D'Addario January 24, 2016 Nadia Colasurdo & Mike D'Addario

43-Clara Lina Gauthier April 29, 2016 Tanya D'Amico & Brian Gauthier

48-Alessandro Mario Di Libero September 12, 2016 Amanda Melo & Tino Di Libero

44-Anthony Saad July 4, 2016 Carmelina Melanie Argento & Marc-Antoine Saad

49-Victoria Saverina Rossi February 4, 2016 Nadia Audi & Oreste Rossi

40-Zaydan Belhajja April 22, 2016 Miriam Senerchia & Hicham Belhajja

45-Stella Giard October 7, 2016 Davina Giove & Guillaume Giard

50-Damian Massa October 16, 2016 Tiffany Chin & Francesco Massa

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51-Augustus Rayner Pap August 11, 2016 Stefania Orlando & Denis Pap

52-Adamo Mambro November 3, 2016 Laura Saviano & Carmine Mambro

53-Giordano Di Iorio July 19, 2016 Sabrina Cavallaro & Anthony Di Iorio

54-Emma Lucia Iorio January 7, 2016 Vanessa Tarantini & David Iorio

55-Thuy An Maria Speranza April 25, 2016 Mai Nguyen & Marco Speranza

56-Gianni Francesco Stara July 31, 2016 Jackie Caltagirone & Sergio Stara

57-Siena Ragusa May 17, 2016 Stefany Baratta & Antonino Ragusa

58-Rylan Duncan August 8, 2016 Nealy Berghello & Angus Duncan

59-Avianna Sofia Zingaro November 1, 2016 Stephanie Pino & Giancarlo Zingaro

60-Aiden Gabriel Girardello Testa June 15, 2016 Gennifer Girardello & Maurizio Testa

61-Romeo Joseph Gallucci June 25, 2016 Melanie & Arthur Gallucci

62-Daniel Ruggeri February 8, 2016 Shanel Leger & Benedetto Ruggeri

66-Justin Meunier April 17, 2016 Connie Monteleone & Charles Meunier

71-Alessia Sciglitano July 15, 2016 Jenny Masone & Carmelo Sciglitano

67-Lia Zoe Borrelli August 29, 2016 Jennifer Maselli & Christopher Borrelli

72-Andrea Paradiso October 10, 2016 Josie Lo Cascio & David Paradiso

63-Italia Iacovela December 2, 2016 Nadia Napolitano & Remo Iacovella

68-Tristan Rocco Muraca April 18, 2016 Anita Rao & Claudio Muraca

73-Livia Anne Macri December 31, 2016 Julie Marks & Anthony Macri

64-Jordana Mya July 13, 2016 Daniella Valmora & Ryan Browne

65-Justin Michael Gurreri April 6, 2016 Jennifer Vitullo & Michael Gurreri

69-Olivia Grace Vicario July 18, 2016 Christina Romano & Tristano Vicario

70-Arianna Pace June 2, 2016 Sarah Biscotti & Bruno Pace

74-Jaxson Linhares April 8, 2016 Melanie David & Danny Linhares

75-Luca Paulozza October 20, 2016 Amanda DiCriscio & Jason Paulozza

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76-Sara Elizabeth Romano February 25, 2016 Kristina Di Cesare & Christopher Romano

77-Amelia Maria Marone May 1, 2016 Christina Giancotti & Joseph Marone

78-Olivia Labattaglia July 16, 2016 Maria Giagkos & Joseph Labattaglia

79-Matteo Callocchia Rizk December 8, 2016 Victoria Callocchia & Joe Rizk

81-Damiano Anthony Caruana July 15, 2016 Nancy Greco & Johnny Caruana

82-Fabio Antonio Di Loreto August 15, 2016 Angela Tummillo & Davide Di Loreto

83-Giada Michaela Cefaloni August 11, 2016 Julia Sciscente & Michael Cefaloni

84-Camilla Spina June 18, 2016 Tanya Minchella & Bart Spina

80-Gloria Pepe April 10, 2016 Letizia Eletto & Robert Pepe

85-Ronan David Bell September 26, 2016 Laura Fraraccio & Robert Bell

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86-Matteo Di Re April 8, 2016 Sarah Meffe & Anthony Di Re

87-Davide Mortellaro June 8, 2016 Mirella Simone & Massimo Mortellaro

88-Noah Fabio Santori April 29, 2016 Amelie Gosselin & Alexandre Santori

89-Luca Manna Caltagirone June 3, 2016 Mila Manna & Vince Caltagirone

90-Emilio Angelo Bouchard September 26, 2016 Patrizia Baruffa & Michel Bouchard

91-Lucas Messina August 24, 2016 Teresa Ciciolla & Johnatan Messina

92-Leila D'Angelo September 6, 2016 Paola Antonelli & Frank D'Angelo

93-Victoria Longo November 1, 2016 Stephanie Beato & Matthew Longo

94-Adriano Panfili February 14, 2016 Laura Carmosino & Gianni Panfili

95-Adriano D'Onofrio December 16, 2016 Sonia Silvano & Donato D'Onofrio

96-Leo Giuseppe Maggio April 14, 2016 Laura Campanelli & Davide Maggio

97-Olivia Kamel August 27, 2016 Stephanie Petizian & Paul Kamel

99-Livia Philicia Giancioppi June 16, 2016 Vanessa Krystal Giancioppi & Roberto Felice Marguglio

100-Max De Bonis September 24, 2016 Krissy Villalta & Frank De Bonis

101-Julian Luigino Fabiano December 31, 2016 Gilda Parissi & Joseph Fabiano

106-Olivia Lee June 9, 2016 Lisa Marie Mathieu & Mitchell Lee

98-Eva Ciaramicoli June 13, 2016 Marie-Claude Proulx & Mario Ciaramicoli

102-Matteo Gianni Patroni-Decaria December 3, 2016 Francesca Patroni & Domenic Decaria

103-Arianna Guerrera February 18, 2016 Samantha Cianci & Alex Guerrera

104-Victoria Kastrantas July 27, 2016 Antonietta Patroni & Costas Kastrantas

105-Francesca Caruso June 26, 2016 Nicole Rinaldi & Marco Caruso

107-Adriano Valicenti October 11, 2016 Tracey Walsh & David Valicenti

108-Andrew Mariani November 26, 2016 Harriet Boghoskhan & Jimmy Mariani

109-Adriana Moubarak July 16, 2016 Rosetta Arcidiacono & Andrew Moubarak

110-Raphael Simonetta March 28, 2016 Caroline Moffatt & Jonathan Simonetta

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111-Giuseppe Scardera November 27, 2016 Angelica Scaramozzino & Dominic Scardera

112-Julien Vitali September 21, 2016 Tania Colaneri & Simone Vitali

113-Victor Rodi December 2, 2016 Danielle Bouffard & Lucas Rodi

114-Vanna Juliette Rucco May 2, 2016 Rosie Sciascia & Alessando Rucco

115-Adam Mancini December 12, 2016 Reena Rosa-Delvecchio & Steve Mancini

116-Ivy Reis Macri May 27, 2016 Veronica Reis & Nicodemo Macri

117-Gia Santeusanio July 12, 2016 Melissa Spinelli & Mike Santeusanio

118-Emma Vittoria Lizzi December 11, 2016 Claudia Moschella & Christopher Lizzi

119-Gabriel Di Niro April 30, 2016 Tania Di Fruscia & Edoardo Di Niro

120-Valentina Valle August 8, 2016 Ivana Santella & Jean-Paul Valle

121-Luca Nicola D'Amore August 17, 2016 Tania Pereira & Michael D'Amore

122-Jeanne Tétreault May 14, 2016 Marie-Michèle Vézina & Rémi Tétreault

123-Giuliana Cianci December 8, 2016 Gillian Tuff & Anthony Cianci

124-Rosalia Vavougios October 30, 2016 Linda Varacalli & Stavros Vavougios

125-Stella Rose Vernacchia January 16, 2016 Julie Labelle & Marco Vernacchia

126-Justin Peter Ciarlo March 7, 2016 Gerlanda Cacciatore & Michael Ciarlo

127-Luciano Ventola February 25, 2016 Concettina Fusco & Mike Ventola

128-Milina Marianna Ruscitto October 13, 2016 Melanie Missori & Mark Ruscitto

129-Alexander Grimaldi March 22, 2016 Christine D'Ascanio & Peter Grimaldi

130-Stella Rose Evangelista March 10, 2016 Rosa Ferrulli & Enrico Evangelista

131-Zoë Fazzari June 13, 2016 Bia Koutroularas & Joey Fazzari

132-Sofia Angelica Sciascia April 11, 2016 Antonietta Civitillo & Joey Sciascia

133-Jemma Pontes January 30, 2016 Sabrina Di Iorio & Jaime Gabriel Pontes

134-Paolo Marandola September 7, 2016 Nadia D'Onofrio & Steve Marandola

135-Giulia Gensale August 25, 2016 Antonina Di Giorgio & Gianni Gensale

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136-Eviana Marie Rotondo June 2, 2016 Adele Ciampanelli & Ettore Rotondo

137-Damiano Rossi September 20, 2016 Alessandra & Anthony Rossi

138-Giuseppe Muro June 28, 2016 Amanda & Angelo Muro

141-Angelo Ida December 27, 2015 Giovanna Mazzariello & Antonio Ida

142-Lara Sivilla July 11, 2016 Sonia D'Addario & Andrew Sivilla

143-Aiden Venizio Gentile September 22, 2016 Pamela & Sergio Gentile

146-Adelia Marie Margaret Ricci June 27, 2016 Marcia Ploplis & Luigi Ricci

147-Massimo Julio Alejos July 23, 2016 Nina Zampini & Guido Alejos

150-Kiara Grace Fasone April 2, 2016 Joanne Fasone

151-Olivia Pirri July 22, 2016 Jessica Giacomodonato & Lorenzo Pirri

155-Sofia Mazeg September 24, 2015 Stefania Di Trapani & Slimen Mazeg

156-Toni Mikaela Grimaudo September 7, 2016 Samantha Sneed & Jacques Michel Grimaudo

139-Domenico Pangallo July 17, 2016 Franca & Anthony Pangallo

144-Eros Alessandro Ramellini December 22, 2016 Pina Papa & Giancarlo Ramellini

148-Nathan & Damian Mastracchio March 19, 2016 Ana Josie Grilli & Anthony Mastracchio

152-Daniel Higgins May 23, 2016 Diana Gervasi & Todd Higgins

157-Jeanne-Rose Grimaudo April 21, 2016 Claire Charles & Jonathan Grimaudo

153-Dante D'Anello September 4, 2015 Mariarosa Contrino & Michael D'Anello

158-Sophia Madison Hyde December 2, 2016 Jackie Santana Hyde & John Anthony Hyde

140-Matteo Gianpaolo Agostinelli December 25, 2015 Isa Biasini & Franco Agostinelli

145-Raffaello Galesso May 5, 2016 Irene Galesso

149-Domenico Fiorino September 23, 2016 Sabrina Magliocco & Michael Fiorino

154-Zoe Prillo October 22, 2015 Bessy & Wesley Prillo

159-Chiara Maria Vescio November 22, 2016 Stefania & Nick Vescio

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Little Adriano gripping tightly moments after his birth

THE SIXTH FLOOR Medical miracles performed at the Montreal Children’s Hospital

By Adam Zara

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As I waited in the wings The evening of February for what seemed like hours, 19, 2016 was life-changalone, I prayed to every ing. As I desperately paced deceased relative and saint to back and forth in the sixth intervene. floor wings of the new Suddenly, a nurse pushed Royal Victoria Hospital, through the double doors, my wife Alena was moments stood in front of me, and into an emergency Chugged me. She confirmed section at just 28 weeks of that he was alive and fighting. pregnancy. There was a As soon as little Adriano strong likelihood our child exited the womb, a team of would effectively leave this doctors and nurses immediworld just as soon as he ately intubated him, skilfully made it in. fitting a needle-thin breathing Nearly seven weeks tube into his minuscule lungs. prior, following a routine He weighed two pounds and 22-week anatomy scan, four ounces, and was placed we were gazing at the on life support. screen anxiously awaiting Before I even knew he a confirmation of the was born, our baby was baby’s sex. Instead of rushed to the Neo-Natal answering the question: Dr. Thérèse Perreault and Alena on the day Adriano was discharged from the NICU Intensive Care Unit (NICU) “Boy or girl?” the technician, staring blankly, responded with: “The doctor will come talk to down the hall, on the very same floor, and was being operated on by what seemed like a squadron. you shortly.”

As I inched towards Room 27 to see my tiny boy for the first time, my As the physician made his way in and began to speak, it immediately became clear that this would be far from happy news. He explained heart was in my throat. I had so many questions, but was too that my wife had too little amniotic fluid left in the womb due to a disoriented to grasp the potential outcome explained by the professionals. condition known as PPROM (Preterm Premature Rupture of I knew from the moment his little hand clutched my index finger, however, that he wasn’t giving up.

Membrane), which happens in about 1% of pregnancies.

For the next several hours into the night, Dr. Barbier and Nurses He confirmed what we had feared for the past month, but which no gynecologist was able to diagnose. For all intents and purposes, Alena’s Olga, Mireille and Martine, among others, worked tirelessly to keep our waters had ruptured at 17 weeks of pregnancy. To our great distress, preemie alive and breathing. They inserted a chest tube, a PICC line in none of the many ultrasounds or tests prior to the anatomy scan were the belly button, IVs – you name it, Adriano was hooked up to it.

The next morning, as we anxiously crept up towards his room, not conclusive enough to diagnose PPROM, and so she went about as if sure what type of news would await us (something we’d have to get used everything was normal and “probably just an infection.”

He further explained that the baby was unlikely to survive for two to over the next few months), the young attending nurse looked up at us, reasons: a lack of amniotic fluid at that stage of gestation wouldn’t allow and from behind her mask, sweetly pronounced: “He’s doing so good.”

And so the long road to recovery would begin. Day by day, the lungs to develop normally, and there was a 90% probability of going into labour before viability (24 weeks). Developing a life-threatening week by week, small victories and improvements, peppered with some setbacks, would become par for the course. infection was also a possibility for both baby and mother.

Full days would be spent hovering over his incubator (which then That’s when the conversation took a left turn. The prospect of terminating the pregnancy that very afternoon was anywhere between turned into his first crib), hoping for the best, as the decisions made by a subtle insinuation and an all-out expectation, depending on how neonatologists Dr. Perreault, Dr. Sant’Anna and Dr. Gosselin about the different levels of respiratory treatment, would gradually and ultimately clearly one was willing to read between the lines.

Just five minutes earlier, we had been admiring our otherwise heal Adriano’s lungs.

After 12 long weeks in the NICU, Adriano was finally ready to come healthy 22-week-old son on a monitor – with his 4 limbs, 10 fingers, 10 toes and strong beating heart – innocently fluttering about without home on oxygen support, which lasted for another five months.

Today, our little big boy will soon celebrate his first birthday, the slightest clue that his world was hanging on by a shoestring.

But then, my strong wife quickly came to the conclusion that she breathing on his own and talking up a storm. would do everything in her power to keep him for as long as possible.

Over the next few days, gynecologist Dr. Ponette and neonatolo- Leonardo Gattola, born February 14, 2016 gist Dr. Shalish had advised her and given her just enough hope to Parents: Sara Maselli & Steven Gattola A couple of days following Adriano’s birth, I noticed a familiar face in the believe that our little guy had a fighting chance at survival.

Forty-four long days of bed rest on the sixth floor in the post- NICU corridor. Sara Maselli was a friend of a friend who I may have partum section would ensue (the wing is shared with patients having spoken to once or twice before. As our eyes locked, we immediately walked pre-term complications) under the amazing care of head nurse Despina over to each other and asked what each of us was doing there. To my and her staff. On the 45th day, the contractions increased and the labour disbelief, she told me she had prematurely gone into labour while on vacation in the Dominican Republic and was airlifted back to Canada before became unstoppable – our little boy was ready for his battle.

Within an hour of establishing that a C-section was imminent, my giving birth. Yes, you read correctly.

This happened only days before my wife would give birth. Her wife was put under and rolled away to the delivery room. The very real possibility that our son could be born without functioning lungs, and little Leonardo was born at 25 weeks and had similar respiratory issues as Adriano. therefore die, was sprinting towards a climax.

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Over the next few months, Alena and I had become friends with Sara and her husband Steven, and a unique bond was formed between us. Our sons were going through nearly the exact same stages of recovery at the same time, just a few rooms apart.

Both babies experienced good days and bad, but on the first weekend of April, probably the most distressing moments of our stay in the NICU occurred when Leo suddenly began experiencing dire symptoms.

For two consecutive days, his condition kept deteriorating, and no matter what tests or hypotheses the team of doctors and nurses would come up with, nothing seemed to be helping.

It wasn’t before the third day that Neonatologists Dr. Gabriel and Dr. Sherif decided it was time (now or never) for exploratory surgery. It would prove to be a life-saving decision.

They quickly confirmed that Leo was suffering from Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) – a bacterial disease that most commonly affects the intestine of premature infants. They immediately removed a 30cm rotting section of his intestine. The remarkable thing was that none of the symptoms or X-rays showed any signs of this prior to surgery. Had they not performed the surgery when they did, Leo would have died.

Following this ordeal, Leo made a quick and full recovery and would spend another seven weeks at the NICU until he reached full-term.

Today, he’s a thriving, crawling, beautiful little boy that’s about to celebrate his first birthday.

Dante D’Anello, born September 4, 2015 Parents: Michael and Mariarosa D’Anello When Adriano first checked in, I began routinely walking through the hallways of the unit just to stretch my legs and clear my mind. In every room, each baby was given a colourful sign with his or her name on it, and in the room next to ours, I soon noticed a little boy named Dante sleeping in his crib.

He had been born at just 24 weeks, tipping the scales at an unthinkable 620 grams (about 1 pound, 5 ounces). Just like our Adriano, Dante needed to be intubated at birth and just like Leo, he went through his own battle with NEC. Brave little Dante spent a total of 173 days in the Children’s NICU and 118 in the wards.

Today, Dante still has weak lungs, which will be less evident as he grows older, but his biggest obstacle to overcome is learning how to eat. He has a gastrostomy tube (g-tube) where he receives his formula, water and meds. Because he’s been tube-fed since birth, he doesn’t know hunger and doesn’t feel the need to eat. The good news is that he will eventually eat normally, but it will be an exercise in patience for parents Mariarosa and Michael.

Sofia Mazeg, born September 24, 2015 Parents: Stefania Di Trapani & Slimen Mazeg In the 24th week of pregnancy, Sofia’s parents learned their child would be born with Truncus Arteriosus, a rare congenital heart disease where the pulmonary artery fails to develop.

They knew she would require surgery in the days after her birth, and that the NICU team was ready to take her under their care the moment she was born.

And so, following five days in the NICU, Sofia underwent a highly intricate open heart surgery performed by Cardiac Surgeon Dr. Tchervenkov.

After surgery, she spent nearly two months in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) under the watchful eye of Cardiologist Dr. Béland.

Some of the issues Sofia was faced with were mainly feedingrelated. Due to her condition, she was unable to intake food other than through a nasal feeding tube, until she was seven-months-old.

Today, though her feeding has improved and she now lives a normal life, Sofia will undergo at least four more open-heart surgeries

until the age of 18, in order to update her replacement artery that she will outgrow as she gets older.

Zoë Prillo, born October 22, 2015 Parents: Bessy & Wesley Prillo Little Zoë is an identical twin. A twin pregnancy is automatically considered high risk, and even more so when identical. From very early on in Bessy’s pregnancy, the possible complications and the likelihood of a premature birth were well explained. The twin girls were eventually delivered at 36 weeks, but Zoë was much smaller than her sister Bella. She had Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR), a condition that affects 25% of twin pregnancies, where one of the twins does not grow as well as the other.

After being admitted to the NICU, it was also discovered that Zoë had a heart defect: Coarctation of the Aorta with a Hypoplastic Arch. It would require open-heart surgery, but because of her low weight and the risks involved, the cardiology team did not want to perform the surgery right away. It was required that she gain an adequate amount of weight, which meant she had to stay on intravenous medications and rely on the medical support and 24-hour monitoring provided at the NICU. Two and a half months later, Zoë was finally able to get her surgery, and it was successfully performed by Dr. Tchervenkov.

On January 2, 2016, she was discharged after spending 72 days at the Children’s.

Brooke Barillaro, born May 23, 2014 Parents: Michelle Prillo & Robert Barillaro At 6 ½ months old, during a routine checkup, little Brooke’s pediatrician heard a heart murmur and suggested she have it checked out at the Children’s. To her parents’ great surprise, the issue would prove serious enough to warrant an intervention.

At eight-months-old, Brooke had open-heart surgery, performed

by Dr. Bernier and his cardiovascular surgery team. She then spent five days in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and two days in the surgical inpatient unit. She was discharged on the seventh day post-surgery. Thankfully, Brooke made a full recovery and has no lingering symptoms.

Massimo Mini, born February 9, 2014 Parents: Natacha Persopoulos & Claudio Mini For the first two hours after giving birth, Natacha thought her baby was just fine. And then, in the blink of an eye, her little Massimo was being emergency transported to the Children’s Hospital.

It was soon confirmed that her son was born with a rare malformation of the heart known as “transposition of the great arteries.” Simply put, it was as though the two great arteries leading from his heart had been switched. Because of it, his blood couldn’t carry oxygen to his body. It was a life-threatening situation.

In March 2014, when Massimo was only five-weeks-old, he underwent his first open-heart surgery. Dr. Tchervenkov managed to successfully perform a highly intricate operation – the Rastelli procedure, grafting a bovine conduit in his heart – even though it is usually only done to children above the age of 9 months.

The conduit replaced the part of his pulmonary artery that is too narrow, but it must be substituted a number of times as he grows older, as the conduit does not grow with him.

In December 2015, Massimo had his second successful open-heart surgery to replace the conduit.

There will be more surgeries in the coming years, as well as the many cardiac ultrasounds and the various appointments that come with them, but as Massimo turns three this month, he and his parents have the reassurance of knowing they are in great hands.

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Zoe Prillo Massimo Mini

Sofia Mazeg

Leonardo Gattola

Brooke Barillaro

Adriano Zara

Dante D’Anello

Please donate to this fantastic, life-saving institution. www.childrenfoundation.com/fundraiser/panoram-italia

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