Volume 27
Number 25
December 9, 2016
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
A THANKSGIVING TO REMEMBER Spending a holiday in the hospital is hard for both patients and their loved ones, but, thanks to the HEADstrong Foundation, Thanksgiving on HUP’s oncology floors — Rhoads 3,6, and 7, and Dulles 6 — became a more cheerful (and especially well-fed) place. Nick Colleluori, a young man who battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the Abramson Cancer Center, created HEADstrong to raise awareness of the disease and help other cancer patients. Before he died in 2006, he made his family promise to bring his vision to fruition. A decade later, his family has more than kept its promise. The HEADstrong Foundation has raised over $9 million to help support more than 13,500 patients through grants for treatment expenses and cancer research, including $455,000 for the Nicholas E. Colleluori Lymphoma Research Fund at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center. The annual Thanksgiving visit to HUP is a tribute to Nick, said his mother, Cheryl, who is president of the Foundation. “It was his favorite holiday,” she said. Colleluori family members and more than 30 HEADstrong volunteers set up banquet tables in each floor’s conference room and covered them with fall decorations and homemade cards that elementary school children created for patients.
INSIDE Snacks, Stories & Games.........2 Above & Beyond Heroes..........3 Local Students Get a Glimpse of Working in Medicine.............3 Philadelphia Heart Walk............4 Philadelphia Antiques Show....4
The meal included all the holiday favorites — turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, veggies, and of course dessert! In addition, each patient received a HEADstrong blanket — “It’s a wonderful blanket. Super soft, super comfy,” said patient Louis Paglaicetti — and a “comfort” bag, which included a toothbrush, toothpaste, and lip balm. Dennis Kilpatrick, a patient on Rhoads 6, has known the Colleluori family for decades. He spent Thanksgiving Day in the ICU but was able to return to the unit the following day, where a huge cooler of food awaited him and his family. “For what they’ve been through, most people want to just forget. The Colleluoris have made something positive from it,” he said. “For them to bring hope and comfort to so many people…. The whole family is incredible.” “It’s so great that they do this,” said Lindsay Christman, BSN, RN, of Rhoads 7. “Patients look forward to it. We’re so grateful.”
Penn Travel Medical Insurance Free...........................4
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