17-year-old Hanif Mouehla, who was born with Sickle Cell Disease, got a second chance at life with the help of Mitchell Cairo, MD, who is seeking a cure for the disease at Westchester Medical Center. After nearly dying at age 8, Hanif is cured thanks to a transplant of cells from his mom, and Dr. Hanif’s care. Hanif is now working as a research assistant at Westchester Medical Center under the guidance of Dr. Cairo and will attend Harvard in the fall where he will be a premed major. See their amazing story »
Sean Coughlin, President and CEO The Premier Collection, said that this is the fifth year that the Subaru campaign has supported the hospital. “It is an honor and a privilege to be able to do business and Westchester County and it is our requirement to in our minds to give back and we are very, very pleased to do that again this year,’’ he said. View the video here.
Interested in partnering with Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital to support the vital services to local children and their families? Learn more here: https://bit.ly/43UCMQU
Wendy McCarthy of Millbrook has her life back thanks to a new treatment for Parkinson’s disease that is giving her more personal freedom.
When Wendy, 67, received her diagnosis seven years ago, her doctors prescribed medications to control her symptoms. As the disease progressed, she required larger doses. Due to an unfortunate side effect of the medication, Wendy began experiencing involuntary movement, which made everyday tasks difficult and hindered her ability to travel, something she really enjoys.
Wendy’s care team at MidHudson Regional Hospital recognized she would be a great candidate for deep brain stimulation — surgically implanting electrodes in regions of the brain affected by Parkinson’s. Wendy was the first patient at Westchester Medical Center to have this procedure, which has greatly reduced her symptoms.
“The care I receive at Westchester Medical Center and MidHudson Regional Hospital is phenomenal. The staff at both hospitals work as a team and they have all my information in the system, which makes visits a lot easier. And the best part is I don’t have to go all the way to New York City.”
This treatment has allowed Wendy to continue to travel the world, with plans to visit her family in Greece this spring.
Donna James had just retired from her job as an editorial assistant at New York Medical College. After 35 years working at the college, she was looking forward to concentrating on her first love: Acting.
She was looking forward to pursuing her acting career when she noticed she wasn’t feeling quite herself. Donna went for a checkup with her primary physician, who diagnosed her with a rare tumor of the adrenal gland. Donna was referred to a cardiologist at Westchester Medical Center who closely monitored her blood pressure medication so she could safely undergo the removal of the tumor.
Today, Donna, who lives in Ossining, now enjoys the active retirement she dreamed of and thanks her doctors at Westchester Medical Center for giving her a new lease on life.
“I feel really blessed that they caught this,” she says. “Thanks to the care and attention I received, I’m now busy pursuing my dream via community theater. Hollywood here I come!”
In addition to acting, Donna is giving back to Westchester Medical Center Heart and Vascular Institute. She was recently featured as a model at our Girls’ Night Out event, raising funds and awareness for women’s heart health.
Thomas Maulik, 79, is grateful for the high-quality, patient-centered care he received at Margaretville Hospital after a bad fall in November of 2022.
After attending his great granddaughter’s birthday party, Tom, a lifelong Margaretville resident, came down with a mild illness. He and Christine, his wife of 53 years, thought nothing of it until Tom fell in his home one evening. Too weak to stand, he was taken by ambulance to Margaretville Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network.
Over the next two and a half months, Tom underwent rehabilitation at the hospital, relearning how to stand and walk thanks to his twice-a-day rehab sessions and the dedicated nurses and support staff who encouraged his recovery. Christine also provided lots of TLC. Since the hospital is in their community, she could visit Tom every day.
“They gave my husband his life back,” says Christine. “We weren’t sure Tom would ever be home again, but thanks to the excellent care he received, we’re back there together, laughing all the time.”
More inspirational stories from Margaretville Hospital:
Lana Kaminskaya of Kingston is grateful that she can receive treatment for an aggressive form of breast cancer close to home.
Lana, 75, discovered a lump in her breast during a routine self-exam in October of 2022. When further tests confirmed that it was cancer, her doctors immediately began chemotherapy treatment at the Infusion Center at HealthAlliance Hospital. Since then, Lana’s tumor has shrunk. Her doctors continue to monitor her progress.
Lana is so grateful she receives care just minutes from her front door. “People told me I need to get treatment in New York City and I said no. Without family support, without your own bed, you can’t heal,” she says. She is also thankful for the hospital’s Oncology Support Program, which has connected her with various local resources and help groups. Lana says, “My doctors and nurses are amazing, and so is the community’s support. It really matters when so many people are behind you.”
Dr. David Asprinio is Director of Orthopaedic Surgery at Westchester Medical Center and Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery at New York Medical College. He completed his undergraduate studies at the College of the Holy Cross and medical school at the University of Vermont. He completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University. He then completed fellowships in orthopaedic trauma at the Hospital for Special Surgery and orthopaedic spine surgery at the University of Maryland. He is board-certified in orthopaedic surgery and a member of numerous sub-specialty organizations.
Dr. Asprinio joined the medical staff of Westchester Medical Center in 1995 and has been recognized as one of the “Top Doctors” in Westchester County and the New York metropolitan area in each of the last eight years. In 2012, he was named one of the top 29 orthopaedic trauma surgeons in the United States. He is Program Director for the Westchester Medical Center-based New York Medical College Orthopaedic Residency Program. He is involved in clinical and basic science research activities and has lectured nationally and internationally. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals including The Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, The American Journal of Sports Medicine and The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Dr. Asprinio lives in Greenwich with his wife and three children.
Jeremy Abramson is Vice President of The Premier Collection, a family-owned and -operated group of Volvo, Subaru, Lincoln, Mazda and Volkswagen dealerships in the region. Mr. Abramson started his career at 16 washing cars and worked his way up through the ranks to running the day-to-day operations of the entire dealership. After graduating from Towson University in Maryland, he moved to New York where he met his wife, Amy.
Mr. Abramson is deeply committed to community involvement, sitting on several professional and charitable boards including the UJA Business & Professional Division, Westchester Medical Center Foundation (Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital), Jewish National Fund and Young Israel of White Plains, where he and his family have been members since 2011. Mr. Abramson also serves on the board of Blankets for Cancer, an organization founded in memory of his nephew, Jordan, that supports patients and families battling pediatric cancer.
Mr. Abramson and his wife, Amy, reside in White Plains with their three children, Sydney, Alexander and Emma.
Foundation Board activities: Governance/Nominating Committee; Recruitment Committee; Events Committee
Kara Bennorth has nearly 40 years of experience in public affairs, marketing, communications and development in both healthcare and the public sector. A member of WMCHealth since 1995, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer where she was responsible for overseeing in-network activities, driving organizational development and culture and inter-network and interdepartmental collaboration and coordination. With direct responsibility for the overall brand and image of the organization, Ms. Bennorth was in charge of communications, marketing and philanthropy/grants development for WMCHealth’s nine hospitals, six 501(c)(3) foundations, numerous ambulatory and community-based programs and several hospital-based practice locations.
During her tenure, the organization consistently ranked tops among hospitals in the region for image and quality and earned a national patient satisfaction award from Press Ganey, one of only two hospitals in the northeast to achieve this status. She also was part of the team that led the hospital’s first capital campaign to raise more than $25 million to build the region’s only children’s hospital. Ms. Bennorth holds a bachelor’s degree in English/Journalism from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and an MBA from Franklin Pierce University. Kara has two grown children, Melissa and Ian, and resides in Putnam County with her husband, Michael Hubertus.
Foundation Board activities: Chair, Campaign Committee; Chair, Special Events Committee; Recruitment Committee; Critical Care Tower Campaign Cabinet
Dr. Robin Altman is a board-certified pediatrician. She got her B.S. in Psychobiology from Yale University and her M.D. from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She completed her pediatric residency at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and joined the faculty at New York Medical College and Westchester Medical Center in 1991. In 1995, Dr. Altman became the Chief of General Pediatrics and Pediatric Hospital Medicine, a position that she maintains today. In 2012, she became the Medical Director of Quality and Safety for Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, and in 2021 she was appointed Vice Chair, Quality and Safety for the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Altman continues to practice pediatrics in Hawthorne, NY, but her passion is quality improvement, patient safety and enhancing the healthcare experience for patients and their families.
