January 5, 2006 Issue                                               

©2005 The Chestnut Hill Local

Transplant will cost thousands but is worth much more
by CAROLE BOYNTON

DAVID CURTIS: A fund-raiser will be held to help defray costs for a transplant operation for David Curtis who was born with Phocomelia Syndrome — a birth defect that includes characteristic deficient limb development and congenital heart defects.

David Curtis, 34, cousin of Chestnut Hill Community Association member Linda Cortese Curtis, is in need of a double lung-heart transplant. The Curtis family is hosting a fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Venetian Club, 8030 Germantown Ave., to raise funds for David and the National Transplant Assistance Fund.

Activities will include a casino night, silent auction, music, food stations, photos and dancing.

While David has insurance, he will be financially responsible for more than $150,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, plus nearly $1,500 a month for lifelong medications, Linda Curtis said. “David’s family has really pulled together to help support him during this difficult time and one of the things,” said Linda, whose mother-in-law, Dolores Curtis, is the owner of Curtis Analytic Partners and a member of the Chestnut Hill Business Association.

Linda explained that David is a “remarkable” young man who has and continues to lead a very active life.

He was born with Phocomelia Syndrome, a birth defect that includes characteristic deficient limb development and congenital heart defects. For David, this expressed itself in inadequate development of both arms and heart. When he was 3, David had surgery to repair several holes in the wall between the atria and ventricle of his heart. In June of this year, David was diagnosed with secondary pulmonary hypertension, caused predominantly by the congenital heart disease. Despite leading an active life, David’s health has progressively deteriorated.

“This past year has been particularly difficult, Linda said. “David has made and continues to make frequent trips to the hospital, at times staying for days and occasionally weeks. He takes numerous medications. Yet, despite all this, David has a wonderfully positive and upbeat attitude.”

Fortunately, David has been cleared to be a transplant recipient at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. To help defray his expenses, a fund has been established in David’s name with the National Transplant Assistant Fund (NTAF), a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for the past 20 years, largely by empowering families to fundraise and manage finances to help defray the significant out of pocket expenses.

Additional information can be found on two Web sites: HopeforDavid.com and transplantfund.org.

To make a donation David Curtis, send your check to NTAF, 150 N. Radnor Chester Rd. Suite F-120, Radnor, PA 19087.