8 The Courier sun • september 25, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com Two Glendale residents searching for kidney transplants BY SALVATORE LICATA slicata@queenscourier.com/@aaltamirano28 When the workday ends for Debbie Zeni, she returns to her Glendale home to her husband and two children, Ava, 8, and Dario, 9. But before she can spend time with them, she has to meet with another member of the household: Nancy #3. Nancy #3 is Zeni’s dialysis machine and its name was coined by her two children as it is now the third one to have taken residence in their home. Zeni needs to use it each day for over two hours because she has a condition called polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary condition where cysts form on the kidney. Both of her kidneys have been completely nonfunctional for almost two years, so she needs Nancy #3 to survive. “It is a real hardship each day,” Zeni said. “But you just have to keep fighting and not give up hope.” Zeni’s appearance would not cause anyone to think that she is fighting for her life each day, and many times when she breaks the news to people, they respond with a look of disbelief. This also applies to James Deifel, one of Zeni’s friends who also is suffering from kidney complications. Deifel, a Glendale resident and father of two, has a condition called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), which has currently depleted his kidney function to about 16 percent. Still, each day, he gets up and goes to work for Verizon in order to support his wife, Claudia, and two children, Julia, 9, and Michael, 13. There is no cure for either Zeni or Deifel’s diseases. The only option for either is a kidney transplant. Each has gone to family members and are on a transplant list, but neither has found a match. But they are not giving up hope and neither is Deifel’s wife, who is now trying to up the chances to find a donor by using social media. Last week, Claudia Deifel started a Facebook page called “Glendale Kidney,” where she has listed both her husband’s and Zeni’s conditions along with their case managers’ information. The page has already received more than 1,500 shares, and she is hoping that getting the word out to the community and beyond will better the chances of finding donors. “I thought to myself, let me start with the community From left: Debbie Zeni and her daughter Ava, and James Deifel and his daughter Julia and get the word out to people,” Claudia Deifel said. “All I could do is keep putting the word out there and hope the right person sees it.” Contrary to popular thought, with today’s technology, a kidney transplant requires only minimally invasive surgery. The donor would first have to take a blood test to see whether a match existed. But both Zeni and Deifel understand the difficulty involved in kidney donation. “We are aware it would really take a special type of person for a stranger to donate an organ to another THE COURIER/Photo by Salvatore Licata stranger,” Zeni said, while holding Ava on her lap. “But if I get a kidney, I know I would live to a ripe old age.” As they continue to fight, both are humbled with the overwhelming response they have gotten from the community via Facebook. They hope that as their story spreads, their chances of finding a match will grow. “It’s great to see that friends of friends in the community have been spreading the word around,” Deifel said. “Remember, it only takes one.” To find out more information, visit “Glendale Kidney” on Facebook. Storefront counseling center to open in Howard Beach BY SALVATORE LICATA slicata@queenscourier.com @Sal_Licata1 The New Horizon Counseling Center is getting ready to open up its newest location on Cross Bay Boulevard. The center, located at 156-28 Cross Bay Blvd., is set to have its grand opening on Oct. 1, according to Herrick Lipton, the administrative and financial director for the center. A staple in southern Queens for over 20 years, the Howard Beach center will be its third location in the area, with the other two in Far Rockaway and Ozone Park. “Empowering individuals and strengthening the community is our motto,” Lipton said. “We cover all different types of needs the community might have.” New Horizon is a nonprofit behavioral health organization, servicing people of all ages and covering every type of behavioral health need. It also hosts programs around the community, including neighborhood events and after-school programs. Unlike many counseling centers, New Horizon uses a storefront approach because it likes to immerse itself in the neighborhood and be a part of it, Lipton said. New Horizon will have staff available for walk-ins and have psychiatrists and social workers on site. It will also provide individual, group and psychotherapy counseling. “Reception has been very good,” Lipton said. “We are here to aid the communities that we are in. ” To learn more about New Horizon Counseling Center, visit www.nhcc.us. THE COURIER/Photo by Salvatore Licata The New Horizon Counseling Center will open up its newest location on Cross Bay Boulevard on Oct. 1.
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