/That' s my munchkin!'

Shanna Lynn Fanelli features

editor

The computer screen flashes obediently with the double-click of the mouse. Seconds later the monitor whirs and Joe Santorine, director of Recreation and Activities in the Dixon Center, breaks out into a grin so big his eyes crinkJe at the corners. Beaming up from the screen is a beautiful baby girl whose huge smile gives testament to the laughter she's creating.

"That's my munchkin!" Santorine exclaims, zooming in on the picture of his two-and-a-half-year old daughter, Elizabeth.

Back in April, Cabrini had participated in a bone marrow drive in the hopes of finding a match for Elizabeth, who has a form of leukemia that can only be cured with the exact match of bone marrow. Two were found, one being her mother, Margarite Santorine, who became Elizabeth's donor.

On June 18, Elizabeth endured her last round of chemotherapy and underwent total body radiation. At 5:30 on June 25, Margarite's bone marrow was put into Elizabeth. From there on it was a "wait-and-see game" as the family held its breath, waiting to see if Elizabeth's small body would reject the marrow.

The transplant was a success.

But the trials had just begun. For almost five weeks, Elizabeth spent half her summer in a 12 x 16 hospital room of isolation. In order for a bone marrow transplant to be effective, the immune system must be completely wiped out, so it was crucial that Elizabeth be kept in a per- pened one day. Elizabeth had been allowed to walk around her room when the broviac catheter, which is a tube that enters her chest wall into her heart for the administration of medical drugs, suddenly broke. Thankfully the situation was rectified quickly.

"Elizabeth is quite remarkable," Santorine says. "She's had her spleen removed and a broviac catheter put in her chest that required five months of daily cleanings."

There was also a scare when Elizabeth's white blood dangers of infections. When her body broke out in the form of a rash that resembled prickly heat and poison ivy, due to a little Graph vs. Host disease, the body's natural reaction against foreign substance that showed her new, healthy cells were becoming a part of her system, Elizabeth became, in her fathers words, a "toddler on steroids." the hosp/ta/, the bone marrow.

"I have her on a weight routine," Santorine jokes, "to bulk her up."

All joking aside, the Santorine family knows just how lucky they are. "I want to thank everybody from Cabrini for the support, prayers and contributions to the bone marrow drives," Santorine said. "Because of those drives we are saving other lives."

Santorine is referring to the two people from Limerick who have found bone marrow matches.

"Here's a funny thing," he said. "It turns out that one of the donors is a friend of a friend and the other is a friend."

Santorine is adamant on the subject of bone marrow drives. "Due to the drives," he states, "there is now 11,176 people on the national register for bone marrow donations. I am convinced in a year from now we will be able to say we have saved the lives of ten people."

The family has constructed a web site that they started before Elizabeth's transplant. Here there are pictures of Elizabeth, updates and records of her events with leukemia as well as inspirational and heartfelt messages from people who log on to show their support.

"She still has a long road ahead

Photos by Joe Santorine of her," Santorine says. Elizabeth fectly sterile environment. Because the procedure had totally wiped out her white blood cells, which fight off and protect the body against diseases and sickness, even the common cold could have devastating, if not lethal, effects.

So Elizabeth spent her time with visits from loved ones, while forming special bonds with the nurses, affectionately known to the little girl as "Sara" and "Barney," whose actual pronunciation is "Bonnie," but is made more appealing the other way to a two-year-old.

"We were very lucky," Santorine says.

The family had more than luck when something hap- cell count came down and she needed platelets from a donor. This time the donor was her father, who gave her his platelets in a successful procedure. To add to the joy of being able to give his daughter such a precious gift, Santorine was also able to donate his platelets to the other children in need of platelet donations at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Three weeks after the transplant, Elizabeth was taken home, where she was put under "house arrest." Only immediate members of the family were allowed to visit her and she was not allowed to leave the house, due to the will have to undergo all the baby shots and immunities one gets as an infant again.

But her father knows she can handle it. His little girl has been through more in two years than what most people go through in fifty. He clicks the mouse and again Elizabeth's happy face appears on the screen.

''This is it," he grins and taps her smiling image. "Titis makes it worth it."

For elizabeth's web page, go to www.caringbridge.com/page/elizabeth.

Editorial

How safe are we?

It is true that our college has seen a dramatic increase in the number of crimes reported over the last few years. And yes, the increased number of students on campus has no doubt played a significant role in the unfortunate rise.

What is disturbing about the college's response is that while the number of students to protect has increased, the number of Public Safety officers to protect them has decreased.

We have no reason to think that more officers won't be hired; we would just like to see the process speeded up.

This year has been a relatively quiet and peaceful one for the college, which we all hope will continue. Should it not, however, do we really want to have solely on public safety officers who are working from 14-20 of overtime?

The only acceptable response to this concern lies in the college's hiring of a few more welltrained officers to relieve the currently overworked crew.

The issue of safety for Cabrini students and their property is not one that can be overlooked. We sincerely hope that answers to the questions of lighting on campus, call boxes not working, and understaffed Public Safety are soon answered.