Horace Mann - Winter 2012 - (Page 18)

celebrating 125 years: preparing great and giving lives Jennifer Melamed Iannuzzi ’89; Alexander ’95 and Jamie Grossmann Silver ’95: Their children’s needs made them advocates for others barbara melamed, dr. christopher iannuzzi, Jennifer iannuzzi ’89, sydney emma iannuzzi, cole and ben iannuzzi Jackson Gabriel silver, alex silver ’95, Jamie Grossman silver ’95, michaela silver T he nine months a family waits for the birth of a child are filled with anticipation, preparations, and a fair share of anxiety. at the moment of birth these emotions remain—except for the anxiety. it’s time to put worries on hold, until, say, the day the future teen asks these new parents for the keys to the car. for those first moments the joy is palpable, and the relaxation a relief. That is, until some change occurs, a change usually signaled by a visit from a doctor. none but a mother or father who has experienced such a visit can describe the fear that sinks a buoyant heart. no one but that parent can give such an experience the dignity it deserves. Thus, what follows are the stories of three Horace Mann School alumni who have had this experience, told in their own words. Then comes the story of how these alumni looked beyond their own family circle and circumstances to turn their great lives into giving ones. connected to one another only through this account, these families’ separate journeys prompted each to launch foundations that have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support medical research, and become advocates on behalf of their causes, in the media and all the way to the U.S. Senate. strenGth for sydney Here is the story that Jennifer Melamed iannuzzi ’89 tells about Sydney emma, her 6-year-old daughter. it is also the story of the birth of www.StrengthforSydney.org and the SMS research foundation. “Sydney emma was born on Dec. 23, 2005. it was a typical day for a family about to have another baby—a day filled with expectation and exhilaration. Sydney was our third child… This time it was going to be a little girl. it was a perfectly normal pregnancy with a planned c-section delivery. She was a beautiful child and at first everything appeared to be fine. it was not until a few hours after she was born, when i was resting in my room, that a physician i had never met before came into my room and informed me that Sydney would need to be taken to the nicU (neonatal icU) for observation but there was no cause for concern. Sydney was having trouble coordinating her suck and swallow reflex, which resulted in her oxygen saturation levels dropping too low. My instincts told me there was plenty of reason to be concerned.” for Jennifer iannuzzi and her husband, oncologist Dr. christopher iannuzzi, the next 21 months of life with Sydney were characterized by “sleepless nights and internet surfing every symptom that Sydney exhibited” along with frequent visits to the pediatrician, specialists and therapists “with no answers regarding her painfully slow global development,” said Jennifer. finally, a “very aggressive neurologist ran a special genetic test.” Six weeks after Sydney underwent a micro-array test to determine if the issue concerned her genetic material the iannuzzis had a diagnosis: SmithMagenis Syndrome (SMS), a non-familial chromosomal disorder resulting from a rare micro-deletion of genetic material that is characterized by a pattern of physical, behavioral, and developmental features, including varying degrees of cognitive impairment. JAckson GAbriel silver Here is how the story began for the Silver family—alexander Silver ’95 and Jamie Grossman Silver ’95, sweethearts during their Middle-through-Upper Division years at Horace Mann. it is also the story of their son Jackson Gabriel and the Jackson Gabriel Silver foundation (JGSf or http:/ /www.jgsf.org). When Jackson was born on october 11, 2007, the couple heard the doctor utter six words that would change their lives: “‘i think 18 Horace mann magazine Winter 2012 http://www.StrengthforSydney.org http://www.jgsf.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Horace Mann - Winter 2012

Horace Mann - Winter 2012
Contents
Letters
Greetings from Dr. Tom Kelly
Greetings from Melissa Parento ’90
Horace Mann School’s 125th Anniversary Observances Begin
Strategic Thinking
New Initiatives in Institutional Research and Admissions
HM's New Director of College Counseling
Timothy HO and Monica Merlo are 2011 Tina and Dave Bellet Teaching Excellence Award Winners
Langfan Oratorical Contest, 2011
Horace Mann School Graduates 178 in June, 2011
Alumni Council Corner
Bookshelf
Class Notes
Memorials
Philanthropy and You

Horace Mann - Winter 2012