Charmed Life by Gretheline Bolandrina

Seneca in as early as 5 BC - 65 AD per my research was somehow quoted as saying above. What constitutes "the fallen"? Read on and may you find inspiration in the end, not just to stretch out a helping hand but to count your own blessings in life.

While in the Philippines for a Medical Mission, our friend Mary Mallari, RN met a child, John Raymart Vnarao Castro (Age 6) who has a heart condition that they say, "cannot be done in the Philippines." He has been under a Physician's care at the Philippine Heart Center since birth.

His echocardiogram showed the following:
Dextrocardia
Situs inversus
Inferior vena cava draining to the left side
right atrium Single inlet
Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), primum
All 4 pulmonary veins draining to right sided left atrium
Single ventricle with left ventricular morphology with single atrio-ventricular valve
Double outlet
Transposition of the Great Arteries
Pulmonary Valve Stenosis, infundibulovalvar severe with maxium SPG of 75 mmHG Good LVEP of 71%
Confluent and good-sized pulmonary arteries Left sided aortic arch (-)Patent Ductus Arteriosus (-)Coarctation of aorta
Conclusion. Congenital Heart Disease. Single ventricle with pulmonic stenosis

Mary is the Executive Director of HOPE Foundation International (located in Rhode Island, H.O.P.E. Foundation International - Medical Missions to the Philippines). Though she lives in Palmetto, Florida, she did most of her work online, hoping to find help for John Raymart. She wrote to numerous foundations, was rejected and finally last year, she met with the Philippine Consul General who put her in touch with Dorita Urrata (of Connecticut, Dorita Urrata: A lifetime commitment) who is the founder of Children's Chance. Dorita is instrumental in bringing children from all over the world to the US for various surgeries. Children's Chance works with Philippine Airlines (PAL) Foundation. PAL will provide for John Raymart's transportation from Manila to Los Angeles. From thereon, we need funding for his domestic flights.

Dorita spoke to Surgeons at Yale-New Haven Medical Center and after getting John Raymart's medical records (which were sparse) and having tests done and results shipped to the Surgeons at Yale, they agreed to do the surgery. Now, that's great news except that they will do the surgery free but another big part is getting the hospital to do it free. It seems Yale is having major constraints on spending for free surgeries at present and despite the efforts of the Surgeons John Raymart was rejected. Our hearts ache for John Raymart since to date, he is not growing and his heart is getting weaker. We do not know how long he will he be able to hold on without the needed surgery.

Most recently, Mary received a call from Dorita asking if we can raise $6000. If we are able to, John Raymart can be accepted at Montefiore Medical Center or possibly for that amount at Yale. Mary made the decision and told Dorita to "go ahead and make the arrangements." We are all sure that somehow, the Good Lord will provide and help John Raymart successfully undergo surgery so he could live a normal life. If 600 caring individuals gave $10 each, we could easily get the $6000 that John Raymart needs for surgery.

Kindly take your time, take a look at John Raymart and "understand what it would mean to him to live a life where he could walk across a room" and not be carried by his parents. Mary promised him a trip to Disney when he is well. Only six years old, "one of his big things is getting Power Rangers after his surgery." Please send your check made payable to Children's Chance and mail to:

Mary Mallari, RN
Executive Director, H.O.P.E. Foundation
2810 Edgewater Lane
Palmetto, FL 34221

Mary may be contacted via e-mail: aetamom@aol.com or call 1-941-722-5216. Please be assured that Mary will keep you updated on John Raymart's progress during his stay in the US. In the event that "there is more than we need" funding-wise, the difference will be used for John Raymart's care while in the US. Mary was told by a group of cardiologists that John Raymart would need more than one surgery so possibly the funds would be used for the subsequent surgeries.

Definitions:
Situs inversus is a condition in which the organs of the chest and abdomen are arranged in a perfect mirror image reversal of the normal positioning.
Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). A defect between the heart's two upper chambers (the atria).
Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA), also known as Dextro transposition, occurs when aorta and pulmonary artery are misplaced in relation to the ventricular septum, with aorta rising from the right ventricle and pulmonary artery rising from the left ventricle.

Fundraisers:

Linda Mallari-Santiago in CA is having a Birthday Party Fund-raiser on May 5, 2007, Saturday (Rain date Sunday May 6th) 12 PM-2 PM. Happy Birthday John Raymart! Let's help John Raymart make it to his 7th birthday. There will be Silent Auction items and a raffle. Fantastic Sanrio (Hello Kitty) items! Ilana Krechmer, Pilates Instructor is donating a free session, CJ Gems, handmade one-of-a-kind jewelry designed by Genevieve Bueno and Kérastase Paris hair products. There will be Pizza, snacks & other foods and Moonwalk for kids. It will be a lot of fun! Suggested Donation for the party is $5 for adults $3 for kids. RSVP requested before Thursday, May 4th.

LINDA MALLARI was born and raised in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Her Father (Juan, aka Juan de Mal, aka Johnny de Mal) was from Pampanga, Philippines. A true Dr. Huxtable, practicing medicine for over 30 years. Her Mom (Mary) is Czech from Ohio. Mary heads the International Organization H.O.P.E. which provides relief to those in need in the Philippines. Linda has spent most of her life involved in music and performance in some way or another. As a child she'd sit by her father at the piano and listen to his Piano "Inventions", he was self taught in Piano and is very passionate about music as well as her Mom who would sing and listen to Broadway musicals all about the house. Her 6 siblings are all very talented musicians. (Her brother Jay played in piano bars starting at the age of 16.) Most of the people in her family are health care, travel and design professionals. She was Classically trained in Piano and Voice in her early school days. She first learned to play guitar from a nun for 25 cents a lesson, (Sr. Ann Young) in fourth grade at Sacred Heart School, Later to play every Sunday at Children's mass until she graduated high-school. Linda once put on a one man show in fifth grade playing the guitar and riding the unicycle at the same time. She spent her high school days at Mt. St. Charles, home of many Olympian and Professional hockey players throughout the years. She was Presidient of the Beethoven club and Loved watching the Philharmonic where her Mom once slipped on a banana peel in front of Ocean State Theater. She has a great sense of humor. Linda won the Helen Spring Chapin Prize at DEAN JR. COLLEGE in Franklin Mass. For Inspiring "deeper appreciation of Music in her classmates" and minored in Music at Emerson College, where she received a BS degree in Communications concentrating in Television Production. One of her most favorite professors was REX TRAILER (Performance for Television) star of Boomtown. Linda DJ'd at both Emerson's ERS and Dean's WGAO. Joey taught her bar chords for guitar 5 months before The first Martinis performance, Never playing Rock quitar or having been in a Rock band before that time. She has always loved to perform, and has also participated in Theatre and Jazz and Classical Music. Linda spent a year traveling throughout the United States and Europe performing with the international group UP WITH PEOPLE, where she traveled with her friend Denise Burns a very talented Comic and Web expert. After returning from that tour she sold her first jingle to Digital Equipment Corporation "It takes all kinds." She was the Producer's Assistant for a Video shoot for DEC and wrote a song for fun, consequently singing and playing it for their training video. That was a turning point of inspiration for her as well as funding her first living space in Boston with former Dean graduate Monique (Gelmo) Coppola in a small studio apartment in Boston for her first semester at EMERSON COLLEGE, months later she met Joey in a place called The RAT in Kenmore Square. The Pixies had never played a show before then and it was their common interest in music that sparked a bond between them. Offering to sing back-ups for his band, he declined, telling her they already had a girl in the band KIM DEAL (Breeders)

About The Martinis

Formed in the wake of the Pixies' breakup, the Martinis feature Joey Santiago and his wife Linda Mallari as the group's creative core. Santiago was born in Manila, Phillippines, and when he was seven, moved to Yonkers, NY with his family. However, he spent most of his childhood in Massachusetts and went to college at UMass Amherst. This was where he met Charles Thompson (a.k.a. Black Francis and later, Frank Black); during this time he also met Mallari, who was studying Communications and Music at Emerson College. Classically trained in voice and piano since grade school, Mallari came from a musicloving family and had been performing in some fashion since childhood. Mallari offered to sing backing vocals for the Pixies (who had not performed any shows at that time), but since the band already had bassist/singer Kim Deal, Mallari didn't join the group. However, when the Pixies split in 1993, Santiago and Mallari began working on their own music as the Martinis. For a time, Pixies drummer David Lovering played with the band, appearing on the group's song "Free" on the Empire Records soundtrack, but left to become the touring drummer for Cracker. The Martinis had a revolving rhythm section on their subsequent releases, including that dog's Rachel Haden on bass for the group's 1998 selftitled, selfreleased debut album. Around this time Santiago's career as a composer began to take off; he wrote the score for 2000's Crime and Punishment in Suburbia, a project that Frank Black also contributed to, and also wrote music for the cult TV show Undeclared. 2004 was a big year for both Santiago and the Martinis: along with the hotlyanticipated Pixies reunion tour, the Martinis released their second album Smitten on the Artist Direct label.

Joey Santiago (born Joseph Alberto Santiago on June 11, 1965) is a Filipino-American musician and guitarist. Active since 1985, Santiago is best known as the lead guitarist for the alternative rock band Pixies, and as the guitarist for his own band, The Martinis.

Santiago's guitar technique has been described as "angular and bent."

Youth and college

Santiago was born in Manila, Philippines on June 11, 1965. The Santiago family emigrated to Yonkers, New York at when Santiago was 7, but he spent most of his childhood in Massachusetts and eventually matriculated at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he read economics.[1] There he met Charles Thompson (who later used the stage names Black Francis then Frank Black), with whom he dropped out and formed the alternative rock band Pixies in 1986.

Pixies

The band released 5 albums through the 4AD Records label before falling apart in 1993. The band reformed in 2004 with all the original members, touring throughout that year. They also toured during 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Rumours of a new record continue, but, as yet, nothing has emerged.

The Martinis and later projects

Santiago went on to make guest appearances on Frank Black's solo albums and form The Martinis with his wife Linda Mallari. He helped write the score for the 2000 film Crime and Punishment in Suburbia and the 2003 film The Low Budget Time Machine, both along with Frank Black. Also of note, Santiago co-scored with Michael Andrews for the sixteen episode Fox Network TV series Undeclared in 2001-2002. In 2004 he played guitars on the album Statecraft by Charles Douglas released by Redeye. Santiago also wrote two songs for the Showtime television series Weeds in 2005 which included "Birthday Video" and "Fake Purse."

Musical style

He describes his guitar playing as "angular and bent", attributing much of his style to songs he enjoyed when first learning the guitar such as "Savoy Truffle" (a composition by George Harrison on The Beatles' White album).

Feel free to e-mail me reactions, comments and or suggestions for ideas to ponder. Contact me at Gretheline@aol.com or through Carousel Productions.

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