Noah's House of Hope in the Press
Upper St. Clair family hit with tragedy chooses to give back
June 19, 2014 11:08 AM
By Chasity Capasso suburbanliving@post-gazette.com
Jennifer Angelici and her son Noah Angelici, who was diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a rare disease of the placenta.
When Jennifer Angelici, a nurse at Magee-Womens Hospital, was pregnant with identical twin boys in 2004, she recalled she had a feeling that something wasnt right.
She was correct. Her boys, whom she and her husband, Adam, had already named Noah and Jackson, were diagnosed at 12 weeks in utero with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a rare disease of the placenta.
The familys experience led them to create the Noah Angelici Hope Foundation to create awareness and support. The foundation will sponsor the seventh annual Noah Angelici Golf Tournament June 22-23 at Mystic Rock golf course at Nemacolin Woodlands.
Mrs. Angelici was given several options that would have meant the death of Noah, or she could have tricky in utero surgery, during which a laser cauterizes the conjoined vessels.
The Angelicis, of Upper St. Clair, did research and decided to have the operation. They flew to St. Josephs Hospital in Tampa, Fla., and had successful surgery performed by physician Rubin Quintero. Today, surgeon Stephen Emery performs this procedure at Magee-Womens Hospital.
Back in Pittsburgh, the family then met physician Frederick Sherman, president of the medical staff at the Childrens Home of Pittsburgh and director of the Cardiology Fellowship Training Program at Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.
"Noah and his brother first came to me as fetuses, " Dr. Sherman said. "At this point, I was seeing their mother on a weekly basis, as she was getting ultrasounds three times a week and echocardiograms to monitor Noahs heart."
Dr. Sherman explained that in this syndrome, abnormal blood vessels develop, connecting the circulatory systems of the two babies. The result is an unequivalent exchange of blood flow, where one fetus becomes a blood donor to the other, creating serious complications that can endanger the health of both babies. In this case, Noah was the donor and the baby in the most trouble.
The boys were delivered at 35 weeks via Caesarean section on June 24, 2005. Noah weighed 2 pounds, 8 ounces, and his twin brother, Jackson, weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces.
"After he was born, Noah was placed on a respirator because his enlarged heart was complicating his lung development, " Dr. Sherman said. "Noah had significant heart complications. Jackson was born healthy.
After Dr. Sherman made the decision for Noah to undergo heart surgery, Victor Morell, M.D., performed Noahs "coarctation of the aorta and Noahs lung surgery at Childrens Hospital.
"After the heart surgery, he was doing great, and we thought he was coming home, and he did, albeit briefly during Christmas of 2005, " Mrs. Angelici said.
On Sept. 8, 2006, Noah was admitted to Childrens Hospital in respiratory distress; his family was told he would probably grow out of the disease and have to stay only overnight for observation.
Fifteen months later, Noah was still in intensive care, unable to be taken off the respirator.
Jane Klimchak of Venetia, the boys grandmother, recalled that Noah was able to come home overnight in December 2005, but was then rushed back to the hospital.At that point he was transferred to the Childrens Home and Lemieux Family Center.
"In his 2 1/2 years of life, he was only home for maybe three months, " Mrs. Klimchak said.
Noah died in his mothers arms on Dec. 1, 2007. Death was attributed to lung complications.
"Everything he went through, all the surgeries, the poking and prodding, he never cried, " said Mrs. Angelici. "He was such a pleasant baby, so strong."
"Noahs journey was beyond your imagination, " Mrs. Klimchak said. "We were fortunate to have spent that short time with him."
After the familys struggle, the foundation was organized, directed by Mrs. Klimchak and her family.
"Jenny wants to make sure people have the funds to get care for their children, whether it be a place to stay, money for food or travel, " Mrs. Klimchak said. "She doesnt want people to have to go through what she did."
"This family is remarkable, " Dr. Sherman said. "They went through such a significant tragedy and responded by giving back. They created an organization to raise awareness of TTTS, and money for several organizations in Noahs memory."
According to the foundations website, its mission is "to honor Noah Angelicis life with the dedication of his foundation to support research toward the diagnosis, treatment and education of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. While doing so, we will strive to provide support and hope to the families and babies affected with this rare condition as well as those who have gone through a tragic loss."
On June 22 and 23, the seventh annual golf tournament will be held at the Mystic Rock golf course. The event begins at 7 p.m. June 22 with a welcome reception. A brunch will be held at 8 a.m. June 23. Golf begins at 10 a.m., followed by dinner and a program.
Guest speakers are Dr. Emery, of Magee, who also played a major role in Noahs life, and former Pittsburgh Steeler and family friend, Craig Wolfley.
"Ive watched their pain, yet they managed to turn a tough situation into something positive to help other families, Mr. Wolfley said.
Copyright, 2014, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Cradle Will Rock 2012
It was all things Wild Wild West at this year’s Cradle Will Rock, hosted by the Twenty-Five Club of Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. The fabulous affair transformed Keepsake Arabians Equestrian Center in McDonald into the Old West as more than 200 ace-high attendees enjoyed classic country tunes, entertainment, and delicious grub. “The amazing evening featured an auction of custom-designed rocking horses, guests wearing cowboy boots and hats, and lots of ‘good ole-fashioned fun,’ all designed to benefit newborn medicine and research,” says Event Chair Rona Dane. —Andrea Bosco
This event is featured in the November 2012 issue of WHIRL Magazine.
To view and purchase event photos, visit the WHIRL Photo Vault.
Photograph By: Jill Kummer. Left: Gino Torriero, Mali Torriero, Jessica Russell, Jane Klimchak and Dr. Stephen Emery
Running for Noah
Camden Seybert (Noah's 12 year old Cousin) and his Grandma (Noah's Great Aunt) along with her son Joseph and daughter Linnea are running in the Pittsburgh Marathon and raising funds for Noah's Foundation. It is amazing what two feet and an incredible heart can do. Noah never stood up let alone even take one step. Camden is putting one foot in front of the other over and over again all in Noah's Memory and our mission of blessing others.
Please join Camden in a pledge to sponsor this courageous young man and help him in his efforts to touch as many lives as possible with his marathon run for Noah. Benefiting from Camden's run will be Noah's House of Hope which supports two area's of Noah's medical journey. Dr. Stehpen Emery of Magee-Women's Hospital and his work with Twin-To-Twin Syndrome along with The Children's Home and Lemieux Family Center.
Noah's hope Family honors memory of tot who fought to survive rare birth defect
By Denise Bachman dbachman@observer-reporter.com
BETHEL PARK - When Noah
Angelici entered Children's
Hospital of Pittsburgh of
UPMC on Sept. 8, 2006,
doctors told his parents
that he'd probably stay just
overnight.
But the 14-month-old ended
up spending the next 15
months in pediatric
intensive care, finally
released at the request of
his parents, Adam and
Jennifer Angelici, so he
could die in his Bethel Park
home.
On Dec. 1, 2007, Noah passed
away from complications of
Twin to Twin Transfusion
Syndrome. He was surrounded
by medical personnel,
hospice volunteers, his
extended family and his
identical twin brother,
Jackson.
Although his life was
short-lived, Noah fought a
courageous battle to
survive, inspiring many
others along the way. His
father even nicknamed him
Noah Balboa, after Sylvester
Stallone's character in
"Rocky."
As Noah's maternal
grandmother, Jane Klimchak
of Venetia, said, "In the
short 2 1/2 years that Noah
was here physically, he
lived a lifetime. He was the
most incredible little boy
in the world."
Twin to Twin Transfusion
Syndrome is a rare condition
that affects identical twins
with a shared placenta. One
fetus, known as the donor,
continuously "gives" blood
to the other twin, known as
the recipient, through
connecting blood vessels on
the placenta, resulting in
twins of markedly different
sizes.
The boys were delivered at
35 weeks on June 24, 2005,
after they both experienced
a significant drop in
amniotic fluid. Noah was the
donor twin. He weighed 2
pounds, 8 ounces, and was
anemic. Jackson weighed 5
pounds, 12 ounces, but he
was getting too much blood.
"Jackson came out crying,
then he started grunting,"
Jennifer said. "Noah was
white as a sheet," and
required an emergency
intubation.
"Both babies were in bad
shape," Jennifer said, but
Jackson was released 10 days
later, and to this day, he
is a healthy, rambunctious
soon-to-be 4-year-old who
takes great pleasure in
showing off photos of his
twin brother.
To raise awareness about
Twin to Twin Transfusion
Syndrome and honor Noah's
memory, the Noah Angelici
Hope Foundation was
established by Dr. Luke
Taggart and Noah's family.
On June 15, the second
annual Noah Angelici
Memorial Golf outing will be
held to benefit the
Children's Home & Lemieux
Family Center and the Fetal
Hope Foundation.
Although TTTS can occur at
birth - when the umbilical
cord is clamped after
delivery, the other twin can
get a rush of blood - Noah
and Jackson were diagnosed
when their mother was 12
weeks' pregnant. The
original ultrasound detected
a noticeable size difference
in the twins, and three
weeks later, another
ultrasound showed they had
grown farther apart.
Some physicians suggested
terminating the pregnancy;
another said they could tie
off the amniotic fluid to
Noah. Others said let it
ride.
They let it ride.
Jennifer was on bedrest the
entire pregnancy. She lay on
her left side and drank
protein shakes, and she went
to Magee-Womens Hospital
three times a week for
ultrasounds.
While in utero, Noah
developed an enlarged heart
- a condition that usually
affects the recipient twin -
that also required weekly
echocardiograms.
"At 24 weeks, they told us
he wasn't going to make it,"
Klimchak said. "I said, 'A
miracle can happen.'"
After he was born, Noah was
placed on a respirator
because his enlarged heart
was impeding his lung
development.
"With him, there were really
a lot of issues," said Dr.
Fred Sherman, president of
the medical staff at the
Children's Home and director
of the Cardiology Fellowship
Training Program at
Children's Hospital.
Sherman said Noah was too
premature to immediately
undergo a heart operation,
so doctors waited.
"I fear that that waiting
period contributed to his
later problems," Sherman
said. "His major problem
became lung disease. That
ended up eventually taking
his life."
Noah spent all but about
four months of his life
either in the hospital or in
Transitional Infant Care at
the Children's Home, where
Jennifer Angelici learned to
care for her son. She
learned how to undress and
bathe him with all the lines
that protruded from his tiny
body, and she learned how to
change his tracheotomy and
feeding tube.
"I tried to nurse him, and
every once in a while he
would, but there was a
threat for aspiration,"
Jennifer said. "For four
months he was intubated, so
his sucking ability was not
there."
When Noah came home on June 23, 2006, he was thriving. Klimchak said he loved to watch "Shrek," and she remembers his hearty belly laughs whenever certain scenes would appear.
"He had lines coming out
from everywhere, but he
always smiled," said
Klimchak, whose memories are
confirmed in the countless
number of photos of Noah
that hang in the Angelicis'
home.
But when Noah became ill
again in September 2006, he
was unable to get off the
ventilator.
Finally, the family, who
lived in fear every day of
losing their son, grandson
and nephew, was told Noah
wasn't going to make it.
"He was just a lovable
child," Klimchak said.
"Other families will be
better off because Noah
lived, and the Children's
Home will always be a
benefactor."
Copyright, 2009, Observer
Publishing Company of
Washington, Pa.
Shake Your Booties 2009: A Spectaculaire Event
This year, special tribute was paid to Dr. Fred Sherman, president of The Children’s Home medical staff and long-time board member, for his dedication and leadership in expanding The Children’s Home’s medical programs. Pam Schanwald, CEO, and Ranny Ferguson, president of The Children’s Home Board of Directors, presented Dr. Sherman with the honor.
Special guests Jennifer and Adam Angelici gave an inspirational and heartfelt message, thanking Dr. Sherman and The Children’s Home for the help and support they received during Jennifer’s pregnancy and upon the birth of their twin sons, one of whom had a heart condition.
Noah Angelici Hope Foundation Thanks Dr. Fred Sherman
The Noah Angelici “Hope” Foundation would like to express our warmest thanks to Dr. Fred Sherman. Dr. Sherman has touched our family with his kind heart and tireless efforts as our Noah’s Cardiologist...Friend.
The Noah Angelici “Hope” Foundation proudly sponsors the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh & Lemieux Family Center, as they provided a peaceful and caring home for Noah along his precious journey. Click here to view Dr. Sherman's Bio
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