4 North Shore Towers Courier n December 2015 Jessica Lemus She Captured Our Hearts Jessica and her Mom Brother Jay Aunt Rosa “It takes a village to raise a child.” is a popular Native American saying. As young children, our village was small but nurturing—limited to our immediate family. As we grew older it gradually increased in size. For Jessica Lemus, age 12, her village instantly exploded to include hundreds of residents of North Shore Towers these past months. No, she doesn’t live here but she spent lots of time after school with her mother and brother in the VIP Room. Her mother is Reina Lemus, partner with Dennis Pariti in running the restaurant. Her brother, Jay, is the handsome young waiter and she has two aunts on staff as well, Rosa, the waitress, and Maria in the kitchen. A good student and energetic dancer, Jessica had her world shatter on September 16 when she literally collapsed in school and was hurried to Nassau County Medical Center in East Meadow. At first there was no clear diagnosis. After many tests, it was determined that she had some kind of rare and dangerous coronary problem. That’s when the caring, compassionate residents of NST took over. Upon her initial admission to the county hospital Danny Cavallo collected money from the morning coffee club that meets in the VIP Room and, with an assist from Linda Rappaport, went shopping to get her some teen-friendly clothing to lift her spirits. But more than her spirits needed attention. It became obvious she needed more intensive care from a major teaching hospital like LIJ. The problem was there were no beds in the Cohen Children’s Hospital, a division of LIJ, where suitable evaluation and attention could be provided. That’s when Dennis Rappaport came on board. Among his many contacts is Elliott Arnold, whose mother, Shirley Arnold Garfinkel, is a close friend. Visitors to LIJ Hospital may have noticed the wing with the name Ruby and Shirley Garfinkel, designating one of the hospital’s major benefactors. Shirley and her late husband Ruby were instrumental in the growth of LIJ. It took just one phone call; a bed was found and the very weak Jessica was moved. But this is just the opening chapter of a near-tragic odyssey. After several days of probing and testing with state-of-the art diagnostics, it was determined that this young lady had a rare and serious heart problem even beyond the scope of LIJ. Kevin McGeachy, the Executive Director of Cohen Children’s Center, broke the news to the family that there were only five doctors in the United States who could perform the needed and delicate surgery, the nearest at Boston Children’s Hospital. You can imagine what was going through Reina’s mind as she climbed into a helicopter with Jessica and the necessary medical staff, lifted off the pad and flown to Boston. Mother and daughter were there for four weeks and endured a series of dramatic and traumatic events that included a ninehour operation, a 105° fever and an induced coma. The fact that they were in a strange place far from home and family complicated things further. Back at NST, dozens of residents rallied around Aunt Rosa and brother Jay with words of support and prayers. Phyllis Goldstein approached the residents at a Friday night Happy Hour in the VIP Room to contribute to an impromptu “Friends of Jessica” fund. A significant number of people wrote checks that helped the family with out-of-pocket expenses not covered by insurance. This story is another example of how a large complex like ours possesses an equally large heart. Our 1800 units house many people who care. In this holiday season we whisper prayers of thanksgiving that Jessica Lemus is back with her family and getting stronger every day. We are a village who embraces a young girl with a mega-smile who loves to dance. God bless. Happy Holidays to all!
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