Heidi Ramsay Caruso was preparing to take a trip to Kentucky to abort the identical twins she was carrying. It was the last option doctors had given to save her life. The night before she left, she went on the Internet and found another option that could save her babies’ lives: the Fetal Treatment Program at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital and Brown Medical School. She and her husband drove from their home in New Hampshire, and by 2 p.m. the next day she was in surgery. She later gave birth to twin boys, who are now healthy 2-year-olds.

On Friday, June 23, Caruso and her boys will reunite with the physicians who saved their lives. They will be joined by other identical twins from across New England whose mothers underwent the same life-saving surgery during pregnancy. Hasbro Children’s Hospital and Women & Infants Hospital will host the first reunion on Friday for patients diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) and underwent surgery at the Fetal Treatment Program.

The Fetal Treatment Program was developed six years ago and is still the only program in New England to perform this type of surgery to correct TTTS, a rare condition found in some identical twins and is often fatal if left untreated. The surgery greatly improves the survival rate and reduces the risk of long-term birth defects for both twins.

National HIV Testing Day, a national campaign held each year on June 27, is coordinated by the National Association of People with AIDS. The campaign encourages people to get tested and know their HIV status with the message, “It’s better to know.” The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that nearly 180,000 to 280,000 people living with HIV are unaware of their infection, hindering prevention efforts to stop the spread of the disease.

Thanks to dedicated researchers, such as those in The Miriam Hospital’s Immunology Center, HIV-positive individuals on treatment programs can now lead long and healthy lives. Help to end the pandemic and suffering caused by HIV/AIDS by getting tested.

Participants will be given the choice of a rapid test, providing results in 20 minutes, or the standard test that provides results in two weeks. Social workers will be onsite to provide counseling, as well as Immunology Center staff to help those with positive results discuss treatment options. All testing is confidential.

Hasbro Children’s Hospital is a beneficiary of the Kohl’s Cares for Kids program, a national program that supports children’s health and education opportunities. Through this program, Hasbro Children’s Hospital will receive proceeds from the sale of special items at Kohl’s Department Stores four times each year, during the spring, summer, back-to-school and holiday seasons.

For this year’s summer campaign, Kohl’s Department Stores is offering the storybook version of the “Over the Hedge” movie as well as plush characters RJ the raccoon and Verne the turtle. Kohl’s stores will feature the exclusive items for $5 each with 100 percent of the net profits benefiting children’s health and educational opportunities in Kohl’s communities nationwide. The local stores that support Hasbro Children’s Hospital are in Seekonk, Taunton, Mansfield and North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and in Smithfield and Warwick, Rhode Island. The items will also be available online

Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl’s is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty
department store offering moderately priced national and exclusive brand apparel, shoes,
accessories, home and beauty products in an exciting shopping environment. Kohl’s operates 732 stores in 41 states. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit Kohl’s Web site at www.kohls.com.
More ways to give

Front row (L to R): Ali Beretta, student; Marianne Cooney, Hasbro Children’s Hospital Child Life Manager; and Eliza Stopa, student. Back row: East Greenwich High School teacher Christopher Boie and students David Beretta, Alex Schaller, and John Passa.

Tuesday, June 13, students at East Greenwich High School presented Hasbro Children’s Hospital with more than 100 books and dolls for young patients. The goods were donated as part of the proceeds raised through a read-a-thon the high school students conducted with nearly 700 East Greenwich students at Meadowbrook Farms and Frenchtown Elementary Schools.

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With the help of the high school students, the elementary students kicked off the read-a-thon by reading The Jester Has Lost His Jingle, a book by David Saltzman that teaches children to adopt a positive attitude and spread hope, laughter, and charity to other children. When the students found out that the author was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease while writing the book, they decided to raise money to benefit local children with cancer at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

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The funds raised benefit “The Jester and Pharley Phund,” which helps purchase copies of Saltzman’s book, as well as dolls of the book’s characters, for children with terminal illnesses. For every ten dollars raised, one book is purchased for the cause.

The Miriam Hospital’s outpatient cancer treatment center recently received a $1 million donation from The Adele R. Decof Foundation. The donation will initially be used to support digital mammography at The Miriam Hospital, a state-of-the art tool used for diagnosing breast cancer, and lobby renovations to the outpatient cancer center. Future plans for the funds include the development of a complimentary medicine program, which would incorporate massage therapy, reiki therapy, and a nutritionist into a patient’s treatment program, as well as an oncology nurse practitioner program.

The Adele R. Decof Foundation is a charitable corporation formed for the purpose of improving cancer care and treatment with a special focus on breast cancer. It is named for and inspired by Adele R. Decof, who battled breast cancer for eight years. To honor the generous donation, the outpatient cancer center at The Miriam Hospital will be renamed the Adele R. Decof Comprehensive Cancer Center at The Miriam Hospital at a dedication ceremony on Thursday, June 15. Members of the Decof family as well as Mayor David Cicilline are scheduled to attend the ceremony.