All went well, thanks to doctors and nurses at Forum

All went well, thanks to doctors and nurses at Forum

EDITOR:

Recently my mother had a heart catherization done at Forum Health Northside Medical Center. The results showed she needed open-heart surgery. Due to all the bad publicity bestowed upon Forum Health and its bankruptcy, I was very hesitant to allow my loved one to have any kind of service performed at this hospital. I called our family physician, Dr. Joseph Zeno, and told him I wanted a second opinion from a “better hospital” and that I had never heard of Dr. D’Amato, the surgeon assigned to her case. He assured us that Dr. D’Amato was a highly respected physician and was very qualified to perform this operation. He also said Forum Health is one of the best hospitals around for cardiac care. I was very skeptical, however, Dr. Zeno has been our family’s physician for a long time and we respect his opinion and value his judgment.

On Nov. 12, Dr. D’Amato performed the surgery, which was quite complicated due to some unexpected issues that he encountered during the operation. He was very concerned about her and said we would have to wait for several hours to know the outcome of the surgery. My mother came through the recovery process like a real trooper. I cannot say enough about the care she received in the Surgery ICU. I have never seen anyone connected to so many tubes, however, I felt very assured by her nurse Darla that what my mom was going through was normal. The next day, Dr. D’Amato came in to talk to the family. He was very professional and patient, taking his time to explain everything to us. He answered every question we had for him. He made me feel like he had known my mother for years. I knew then that my mother was in the best of hands.

The staff in the Surgery ICU at Forum Health should be commended for their dedication to their patients and the great job they do. During my mother’s time in the ICU, I had the pleasure of visiting with one of her nurses, Michelle. She is the perfect example of what a nurse should be. She could not do enough for my mother. An employer could only hope that all employees would have her compassion and dedication.

In times of not knowing if you are going to have a job from day to day, the staff did not let it affect their patient care. I had many misconceptions of Forum Health, and I will never doubt the quality of service the staff at Forum Health provides, especially in a time of crisis. They are a remarkable group of people. I hope their issues can be resolved before it is too late. People need to realize what a tremendous asset Forum Health is to our community.

CAROL HITCHCOCK

Boardman

Fun night took a lot of work

EDITOR:

It would be impossible to thank all the wonderful people who made The St. Nicholas Church First Family Fun Night such a success. Thanks first of all to those who bought the pre-sale tickets and those businesses that donated money or gifts, Chris Graff, Allstate Insurance Co., Becker Funeral Homes, Clemente Funeral Home, Belleria Restaurants, Elmton Restaurant, Frattaroli’s and IGA.

Thanks to all members of St. Nick’s Youth Ministry, Holy Name Club, Moms and Dads, Mrs. Bell’s and 5th Grade Poster Makers and Altar and Rosary Society and their ladies who worked to sell tickets and prepare the wonderful lunch and cleanup.

A special blessing on all the runners, cashiers, record keepers, announcers, wheel people and the great young men who bagged and carried the turkeys to the people, and the little people who pulled tickets from the barrel.

Finally, we can not forget our wonderful Father Bob for all his help and understanding and to all of his staff in the office who gave us so much help and the janitorial staff for the setup and cleanup of the hall. Also thanks to Father Tobin, who gave of himself to show us how this raffle works. He came to us from Campbell, where he is retired but is very active.

If we have forgotten anyone just know that we appreciated everything anyone did, big or small. We did not use names, with a few exceptions, for fear we would forget someone.

Our sincere apology to the kids because we should have had movies, coloring and games in another room. If we do it again, we will surely make it more of a family fun night. We are learning.

PRISCILLA CARLUCCI and BEVERLY PACK

Committee Members

Struthers

A community responded

EDITOR:

We, the administrators and faculty of Youngstown East High School, would like to thank Dave Matz, the N.E.O.Y.F.L. and all of the community members from the various communities who reached in their pockets and hearts with support for the family of Jabraya Howell. Jabraya, an East High School cheerleader, died suddenly of a heart attack last month.

The generosity and time that Dave Matz showed and gave while managing the 50/50 raffles and the monetary collections at a weekend cheerleading event, as well as the generosity of each and every person who donated in whatever capacity or helped with the collections should not go unrecognized. The three 50/50 winners donated their money back and various people gave open donations with overwhelming response. It is truly inspiring to see various communities and people come together at a time of need such as this. We thank all who participated in coordinating and administering this effort.

MARCO MARINUCCI, teacher

Youngstown

X The writer wrote on behalf of the staff and faculty of Youngstown East High School.