Photo Courtesy of Councilwoman Ariola
Valentina’s family and members of the community attended last weekend’s ceremony.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Armed with a beaming smile rivaled solely by the cloudless South Queens sky above, City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) on Sunday hosted the official ceremony co-naming the corner of 163rd Avenue and 86th Street “Valentina’s Way,” in memory of Valentina Marie Allen.
Photo Courtesy of Councilwoman Ariola
City Councilwoman Joann Ariola hosted the official co-naming ceremony.
Valentina died eight years ago, succumbing to hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare congenital defect marked by a severely underdeveloped left ventricle; since it cannot effectively pump blood to the body, the right side of the heart must pull double duty and pump blood both to the lungs and to the rest of the body. On May 12, 2015, Valentina’s mighty heart could take no more.
File Photo
Valentina Marie Allen died on May 12, 2015.
She was just 2 years old.
Photo Courtesy of Councilwoman Ariola
Thanks to Councilwoman Ariola, the corner of 163rd Avenue and 86th Street will forever be “Valentina’s Way.”
“In her short time on this Earth, Valentina made a huge impact on this entire community,” Ariola said. “Because of her, we’ve raised more awareness for the rare, congenital defect known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome than I ever thought possible, and this neighborhood has raised thousands upon thousands of dollars towards research so other families might not have to suffer like the Allen’s did in the future. Though Valentina is no longer with us, her presence is certainly felt each and every day, and now with this co-naming we can make sure that her legacy her will live on for generations to come.”
