Ways You Can Give

Special Event Photos

3rd ANNUAL MAA’S WALK BENEFITS NEWARK BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER HEART TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS AND THE NJ ORGAN AND TISSUE SHARING NETWORK

For all the love that she gave to them, the family of Mary Anne Ahearn continues to reach out and give back to the community in memory of their mom. Mrs. Ahearn received a heart transplant at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC) in 1990. She lived 12 years after her heart transplant before succumbing to an unrelated illness in 2002.

l to r., Lorna Pangilinan, RN, Critical Care Unit NBIMC; Charlotte Santiago, RN, CCU, NBIMC; Janet Kennedy, ANM, CCU, NBIMC; Janine Quick, 2005 heart transplant patient, NBIMC, Mark J. Zucker, MD, Director of the Heart Failure & Cardiac Transplant Program, NBIMC and his sons.

For the third consecutive year, the Ahearn family in cooperation with the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Foundation organized the MAA’s 5K Walk (www.maaswalkand5K.org) to benefit the Heart Transplant Program at NBIMC and to support the NJ Organ and Tissue Sharing Network’s crucial educational programs promoting organ and tissue donation. This year’s event, held at Verona Park in October, was a huge success raising more than $26,000 and attracting 120 devout supporters donned in their red and white t-shirts.

Something for everyone: Alysia Wojcik, 4, sports a balloon headdress

Heart transplant recipients Janine Quick and Tom Tatem were among this year’s walkers. Ms.Quick, 26, was hospitalized at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center for two and a half years, before receiving a match earlier this year. Even more remarkable was Mr. Tatem’s stamina. It had only been two months since he received his heart transplant at NBIMC in August 2005. For the walk, Tatem was joined by 30 supporters including his family and friends.

Sponsors of the 2005 MAA’s Walk included MAA’s Kids and Grandkids; Bergenfield Pharmacy; Coca-Cola; IBEW Local Union #164; KPMG; The Michigan McGrath’s; Murray’s Sportsman Lounge; The NJ Organ and Tissue Sharing Network; Roche Labs; Saint Barnabas Health Care System; Tommy Fox’s Public House; Walker Shortbreads and Wormser Corporation.

“The medical expertise and advances in tissue and organ transplant is truly remarkable work,” said Beth Tepper of the NBIMC Foundation. “What is equally important is the work being done by families like the Ahearns in raising awareness and support for tissue and organ donations.”

Walkers enjoy blue skies and sunshine after days of rain!

In 2004, there were over 27,000 organ transplants performed in the United States. Currently, more than 90,000 Americans registered with the United Network for Organ Sharing are on transplant waiting lists. Every year an estimated 6,000 people die while waiting for organ transplants. To get the facts about organ and tissue donation, visit the NJ Organ and Tissue
Sharing Network website at: www.sharenj.org.

To learn more about the Heart Transplant Program at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, call 1-800-THE BETH or visit: www.saintbarnabas.com.

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, is a 671-bed regional referral teaching hospital with specialized programs including heart and kidney transplantation, cardiac surgery, oncology, and maternal/child health services. Children’s
Hospital of New Jersey is the state’s premier hospital caring for children with specialized services to treat ill and injured children from newborn through adolescent years, including more than 30 pediatric specialties.

The Ahearn Family Front row, l to r, Laurie, Jennifer Murray, Kathy O’Brien Rear, l to r, Mike, Tom, Jr., Tom, Sr., Terry

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