Volunteers, survivors and supporters will gather for the American Heart Association's annual York Heart Ball, a virtual event, on Saturday, May 30, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The theme will be "Night With the Stars - at Home."
The annual gala will highlight the need to advance scientific research and expand community programs that protect the cardiovascular health of York County residents. The association is working to provide reliable, science-based information for the approximately 120 million people in the United States who currently have one or more cardiovascular conditions which could put them at higher risk for COVID-19 complications.
The event will feature the story of 15-year-old local congenital heart defect survivor Nathan Campisi. Nate's parents, Jason Campisi and Amy Foxwell, learned that Amy was pregnant after three years of trying. After some early tests revealed that their baby might have spina bifida, they started going for ultrasounds more frequently. Additional testing showed the earlier test may have been a false positive. However, during a 33rd-week ultrasound, doctors noticed something wrong with the baby's heart. One week later, Nate was born.
Doctors moved the baby to the NICU, where they learned that Nate had a congenital heart defect called anductus arteriosus and would need open heart surgery right away. While they waited for surgery day, Nate developed a life-threatening infection that only added to their worry. He fought the infection and made it through his surgery successfully. He recovered from the surgery, but a regular hearing test revealed that Nate was deaf, a possible side effect of the medicine he received to fight his infection. He was diagnosed with auditory neuropathy, but with the help of a hearing aid he received at age 3, he is able to live a normal life.
"After all of that, Nate is on the dean's list at school, loves basketball and video games, and we couldn't be more proud or happy for him and what his future holds," said Jason. "If it weren't for all of the screening, testing, medications and surgical expertise available to him, Nate would not be with us today. We're helping the American Heart Association with their fight to advance research and healthier lives, because you never know if those advancements could just save someone in your family."
The York Heart Ball is a premier event for the American Heart Association and is attended by philanthropists and supporters committed to the lifesaving work of the organization. Attendees are encouraged to dress formally for a virtual red carpet. The event will highlight milestones in the fight against heart disease and stroke, provide healthy recipe tips during a cooking demonstration from UPMC, and offer auction items up for bids. All proceeds will benefit the American Heart Association, which recently announced a $2.5 million fund for rapid response scientific research projects to investigate the specific cardiovascular implications of coronavirus.
The York Heart Ball will be hosted by local news anchor Amy Lutz and her husband, Peter Smith.
The American Heart Association is an organization focused on heart and brain health for all. For more information and to register for the York Heart Ball, readers may visit http://yorkheartball.heart.org or follow #YorkHeartBall on social media.
Leave a Review