Gold’s Gym hosted the second “Team Valentina” fundraiser last Thursday. Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza.
The little girl with the rosy red cheeks that bookend a cherubic smile that could melt every ice-capped mound of snow along Cross Bay Boulevard seems tired. It’s understandable. Aside from the normal amount of daily rest every toddler requires, this 2-year-old has been through a lot.
Valentina Allen’s third open-heart surgery since she arrived on Feb. 15, 2013, is scheduled for April 1. She was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare congenital defect marked by a severely underdeveloped left ventricle. Valentina, who lives with mom, dad and older sister Victoria in Howard Beach, underwent her first open-heart surgery when she was three days old.
Last Thursday evening, Gold’s Gym on Cross Bay Boulevard hosted its second “Team Valentina” fundraiser, at which she was the guest of honor. Proceeds of the event, which featured a Cardio-athon, a Lift-athon, raffles, a DJ, and the sale of Team Valentina T-shirts, went to Social Work Department of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where Valentina’s heart surgeries take place.
“We love helping her hospital, because they gave us hope and they saved her life,” said Danielle Allen, Valentina’s mother. “They gave us the most powerful outcome.”
Allen said that Valentina’s condition was discovered during the second trimester of her pregnancy, and that initial medical opinions suggested she seriously consider terminating.
That thought never crossed the minds of Danielle or her husband, Ryan.
“She was kicking—that was not something we were going to do,” Allen said. “We learned of [the condition] on a Friday, took the weekend to be upset, then we did our research.”
That homework included TCHP, where Valentina will have a very leaky valve replaced during an approximately four-hour procedure. Danielle Allen said that preparation and recovery will require the family to stay in the Philadelphia area for about three weeks.
It’s obvious that her daughter’s spirit has fueled Allen’s positive outlook, but she also cited the neighborhood’s collective embrace as a steady source of comfort.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “You feel like you’re bringing the community together over this one baby.”
Allen’s father, also a Howard Beach resident, echoed her sentiment.
“Fantastic, unbelievable,” Alex Del Cielo remarked last Thursday when describing the fundraiser. “It’s growing every year that they’ve done this. I’m proud of my daughter and son-in-law for organizing this, because it’s an unbelievable hospital that does amazing things.”
If you’d like to donate in Valentina’s honor, please mail a check payable to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to Danielle Allen, 162-24 86th St., Howard Beach, NY 11414. You may designate your gift to either the Cardiac Social or Cardiac Research departments in the memo section of the check.
By Michael V. Cusenza
