It is time once again to support the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.
The 19th Grand Finale of the Great Orchestra will be held on Sunday, January 9th. This year, the Orchestra will be raising money to buy medical equipment for children with urological and nephrological diseases
Sylwester Prokurat, Assistant Professor, Ph. D explains the need:
We would like to be able to detect diseases of the urinary tract earlier, because this enables early treatment and urological intervention. The reason why it is so important is that an early diagnosis may have a considerable impact on the patient’s future life.
When a developmental defect of the urinary tract is detected in a little patient, additional diagnostics is necessary, including bladder functioning tests. Since very often such defects are spotted in newborn babies, it is crucial to provide early treatment with the help of precise urological devices.
Another significant problem connected with kidney patients is the growing number of cases of severe kidney damage. As medicine progresses and new difficult yet necessary procedures are being introduced such as bone marrow transplant, liver transplant or heart transplant, the number of patients with acute kidney insufficiency is growing.
It is extremely important that the doctor has the access to so-called continuous hemofiltration methods, instead of having to send a patient to another clinic, sometimes hundreds kilometers away, where it is possible to eliminate toxins. Today, so-called intensive nephrology also includes early kidney support treatment or continuous hemofiltration treatment, aimed at stabilizing the patient, controlling the amount of water in his or her organism, supporting treatment of sepsis (especially within the first 24 hours), and eliminating toxins in cases of mushroom and drug poisonings.
In all those cases time and accessibility of treatment play a decisive role. Modern continuous hemofiltration devices give doctors a wide range of possible treatments, including plasmapheresis (therapeutic plasma transfusion) used in cases of poisoning. These methods are recommended and used in all European countries.
That is why it is very important now that specialists from the fields of nephrology, urology and intensive care work together in order to:
- Improve early diagnostics of urinary tract and provide efficient treatment;
- Prevent severe kidney damage in cases of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in patients in intensive care units;
- Keep high standard of continuous hemofiltration treatment in children with acute kidney disease;
- Diagnose and treat hypertension in children.
Finale Centers have been set up in the United States at:
Stamford, CT
Polska Sobotnia Szkoła
360 Washington Blvd.
Contact: Kazimiera Ferenc, 203-940-2185
Pomona, NY
Polskie Radio NEW YORK
1551 RT – 202
Contact: Marcin Filipowski, 845-354-2000
Chicago, IL
Copernicus Foundation
5216 W. Lawrence Ave.
Contact: Gregg Kobelinski, 773-777-8898
From the Buffalo News: Sister Mary Christine Ganczewski, educator
Oct. 6, 1922—Dec. 27, 2010
Sister Mary Christine Ganczewski, a Felician Sister for 68 years and educator for more than 40 years, died Monday in the Blessed Mary Angela Care Center in Buffalo. She was 88.
The former Mary Ganczewski was born in Buffalo and entered the Immaculate Heart of Mary Province of the Felician Sisters in 1942. She professed perpetual vows on Aug. 6, 1950.
She was a member of Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Parish. She graduated from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy and earned a Bachelor of Science in Education at Mount St. Joseph Teachers College, now Medaille College.
Sister Christine taught students in the primary grades and was an elementary school teacher for 48 years, serving in the Diocese of Buffalo for 41 years and in the Diocese of Syracuse for seven years.
She also was principal at St. Casimir School in Buffalo and St. John Gualbert School in Cheektowaga.
In 1989, she was recognized as “Religious Educator of the Year.”
Sister Christine retired from teaching in 1992 and became an aide at the Villa Maria Infirmary.
She is survived by her sister, Gertrude Zablotny.
A Mass of Christian Burial was offered Friday.
Sister taught me in the third and fourth grade and was my school’s principal for many years. She remembered me whenever we happened to run into each other through the years.
My days in her class were a fond memory, and in the waning days of traditional education and respect in schools. She taught us Polish Christmas Carols, how to stand up and greet our Pastor with “Niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus” whenever he entered the class. She took care of her little community of sisters at our school, and ensured we were ready for life, artistically, religiously, in the sciences, mathematics, and in literature.
Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord and may the perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace. Amen.
Wieczne odpoczynek racz jej dać Panie, a światłość wiekuista niechaj jej świeci.
Niech odpoczywają w pokoju, Amen.
January is National Polka Month! Join in at Buffalo’s Broadway Market as they celebrate with live music from some of Buffalo’s best Polka bands. The New Direction Band will be performing live polka on Saturday, January 8, 2011 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Broadway Market offers some of the best local produce, meats and baked goods around. Start the New Year off right with the New Direction Band and the Broadway Market. Visit the Market website for a full list of January’s Polka events.
For additional information contact the Broadway Market at 716-893-0705. The market is located at 999 Broadway and is open everyday, except Sunday, from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Parking is available in the parking ramp attached to the market.
Cleveland Welcomes Polish President
By Raymond Rolak
CLEVELAND — After a two hour extended meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington D.C., Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski flew to Cleveland to visit the Cleveland Clinic. He toured the health facility and inspected some of the research labs. The Polish-American physicians on staff presented the Polish President with his own Cleveland Clinic lab coat. President Komorowski also addressed staff at the world renowned hospital.
Komorowski was shown new high tech medical imaging equipment and briefed on electronic medical record keeping and protocol. Dr. Maria Siemionow, the surgeon who performed America’s first successful face transplant helped translate technical medical terms.
Komorowski toured a historic Polish-American neighborhood on Fleet Avenue and had dinner at the Polish-American Cultural Center on East 65th Street.
Eugene Bak, President of the PACC of Cleveland welcomed the Polish President to a hosted dinner. The President was gracious with a receiving line and countless pictures. Longtime volunteer Ben Stefanski was presented a medallion from the guest of honor.
When asked by a reporter about what President Obama said about the visa waiver question, Komorowski said, “President Obama indicted to me, this problem will be solved.”
A Good Read, a Great Gift
Submitted by Raymond Rolak
A last minute gift idea is, 303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron
In the summer of 1940, during the Nazi occupation of most of Europe, Great Britain stood alone. 303 Squadron is the eyewitness story of the celebrated Polish fighter pilots that flew for the RAF and helped save England during its most desperate hours.
The book contains over 200 photos, maps and illustrations. The accounts of the aerial dog fights are riveting and the “Battle of Britain” is placed in its correct historical context. These aviators helped turn the tide of World War II. D-Day was the beginning of the reclaiming of Europe. It was the victory during the air “Battle of Britain” that signified that victory for the Allies could be achieved.
As Winston Churchill said 70 years ago, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”.
Also known as the Kościuszko Squadron the 303 was one of 16 Polish squadrons flying in England. It was the highest scoring squadron in the RAF during the “Battle of Britain”. Aviation buffs will marvel at the performance details given about the British Hurricanes, Spitfires and American Mustangs that the 303 flew. The book contains highlights to keep any historical enthusiast thoroughly entertained.