Hollis resident Dana Smith and Dr. Lewis Teperman, MD, director
of Transplant Services at Northwell Health, reconnect at a press
conference on Feb. 25. Courtesy of Northwell Health
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.2 COM | MARCH 5-MARCH 11, 2021
BY JENNA BAGCAL
The FBI on Monday, Feb.
22, arrested a Glen Oaks
man and Republican District
Leader for allegedly
taking part in the Jan. 6
Capitol riot, according to
federal prosecutors.
Prosecutors say that two
witnesses identified 46-
year-old Philip Grillo from
CNN footage, which showed
him participating in the
riots wearing a jacket from
the Knights of Columbus,
a Catholic fraternal
organization.
Grillo is alleged to have
knowingly entered and remained
on federal grounds
without authority and attempted
to impede or disrupt
the orderly conduct of
government business.
The Queens Daily Eagle
reported that Grillo,
a former District 24 City
Council candidate and selfproclaimed
“Republican
Messiah,” was arrested at
his girlfriend’s home in
Glen Oaks on Feb. 22.
Screenshot of Grillo’s
Knights of Columbus jacket
from YouTube video
Back in January, the FBI
worked with two witnesses
who called into a federal
tip line saying they recognized
Grillo from “growing
up with him” in Glen Oaks.
While the first anonymous
tipster called his Knights
of Columbus jacket to attention,
the second witness
said that she was able to
identify Grillo solely by his
face.
Surveillance footage allegedly
showed a man fitting
Grillo’s description
climbing into the Capitol
from a broken window while
holding a red megaphone.
Once inside the building,
screenshots from the CCTV
footage show Grillo in multiple
instances, surrounded
by other insurrectionists
who were yelling “fight
for Trump” and recording
himself on a cellphone.
On social media, Grillo
expressed his support for
former President Donald
Trump, including a photo
of marked ballot, which is
illegal in New York state.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at
jbagcal@qns.com or by
phone at (718) 260-2583.
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Dana Smith, a 37-year-old
mother from Hollis, considers
herself lucky to be alive
after undergoing a six-hour,
emergency liver transplant at
Northwell Health in New Hyde
Park, after being diagnosed
with fulminant hepatitis B
that she acquired as a result of
an infected nose ring.
The life-saving surgery was
performed on Jan. 17 by Dr.
Lewis Teperman, MD, director
of Transplant Services at
Northwell Health. Now, Smith
has one message to share following
the emergency surgery
though the Sandra Atlas Bass
Center for Liver Diseases at
North Shore University Hospital
that saved her life: Don’t
let fears of COVID-19 stop
you from seeking necessary
medical attention.
During her reunion with
Teperman on Thursday, Feb.
25, Smith acknowledged that
an important lesson to be
learned from her experience
is that people should listen to
their bodies and seek immediate
medical treatment when
needed.
“I did what so many other
people are doing now,” Smith
said. “I didn’t want to come to
the hospital because I was worried
about COVID-19. I want
to assure anyone who hears
my story that the hospital is
a safe place and you should
not hesitate if you know you
need treatment. If I had waited
even a few days more, my story
would be much different.”
Smith’s story began during
the Thanksgiving holiday
while on a shopping trip with
friends. She decided, on a
whim, to get a nose ring, and
then thought no more about it.
A few days later, Smith noticed
that she wasn’t feeling
very well, experiencing stomach
pains, a loss of appetite
and vomiting.
“I just chalked it up to the
stress of the holiday season. I
thought maybe it was a stomach
virus or acid reflux,”
Smith said. “But when it got to
the point that I couldn’t hold
down food or water, I knew
I needed to be taken to the
hospital.”
Smith was brought to the
Emergency Department at
Long Island Jewish Medical
Center (LIJ) on Jan. 13. That’s
where her memory of the ordeal
ended, she said. Yet, it
was only the beginning. When
she awoke on Jan. 19, Smith remembered
seeing Teperman.
Teperman told Smith about
the stunning turn of events:
That she had undergone an
emergency liver transplant
after having been diagnosed
with an aggressive form of
fulminant hepatitis B.
According to WebMD,
fulminant hepatitis is when
your liver begins to fail very
quickly within days or weeks,
depending on the cause. This
sudden liver failure can happen
in people who previously
had stable liver disease or
never had liver problems.
“We really don’t see too
many cases of fulminant hepatitis
B anymore,” Teperman
said.W
hen Smith was transferred
to Teperman’s care at
the Sandra Atlas Bass Center
for Liver Diseases, she was
suffering from severe swelling
of the brain and seizures, all
a result of the disease, Teperman
said.
“We placed her in a medically
induced coma and immediately
put her name on the
liver transplant waiting list,”
Teperman said.
Remarkably, a donor liver
was offered within 72 hours,
enabling Teperman and his
team to perform the surgery
on Jan. 17. The center, which
opened in December 2019, has
performed eight liver transplants
to date.
A healthy young woman,
Smith’s condition had raised
a question about how she became
so seriously ill in such a
short time.
According to Teperman,
they had realized it had to be
the nose ring given the timing
of events.
“This is a young woman
who is very lucky to be alive
today. In fact, when we first
saw her that night, her condition
was very dangerous.
We’re very lucky that she
came to the hospital when she
did,” Teperman said.
Smith continues to be seen
by Teperman every 10 days.
She plans to return to her job
as a corporate payroll manager
at Northwell in the near future.
When asked if she would
agree to allow her 13-year-old
daughter, Autumn, to get a
nose ring, Smith said, “We’ll
have to see about that.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or at (718) 260–4526.
Philip Grillo Photo via Facebook
Glen Oaks resident
arrested for alleged
role in Capitol riot
Hollis woman, 37, undergoes
successful liver transplant
BAYSIDE TIMES (USPS#025088) is published weekly by Queens CNG LLC, 38-15 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY.11361, (718) 229-0300. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2021. All rights reserved. The newspaper will
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