W-b Twp. Budget Ok'd; Residents Get $35 Back/ Council Passes A Spending Plan
That Features A $70,000 Surplus In The General Fund.

Back Mountain Dancers In Holiday Show

By DAWN ZERA Times Leader correspondent
 Monday, November 28, 2005 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





For three days after his birth, Zachary didn't feel a family member's
embrace. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The infant could not be held by his mother or grandmother because of a
life-threatening medical situation. Born in July with a heart defect, Zachary
quickly underwent the first of possibly several surgeries to correct his blood
flow and keep him healthy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A second surgery is set for Dec. 15. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Grandmother Ann recently peered at the scar left on Zachary's chest from
the first operation and told him, "That's the key to your heart." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Then she got teary-eyed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "People don't know what it's like ... what (his mother) has gone through." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jaime, 22, learned about her baby's condition while she was still pregnant
and, at the advice of a cardiologist, gave birth at a Philadelphia hospital.
She and Ann, 46, quickly became CPR-certified and learned how to insert a
feeding tube, in case Zachary had complications. Since then, the women have
spent their limited incomes on travel and other expenses related to the baby's
care. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Zachary and his family are among 12 individuals and families featured in
the Times Leader/Luzerne Foundation Book of Dreams, an annual holiday campaign
to help area residents with special needs. This year's fund-raising goal is
$16,795. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Readers can contribute any amount by using the accompanying clip-out form.
If you want your donation to be directed to a specific person or family,
please note that on the form. Those dreams will be fulfilled first. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Excess contributions will be distributed to area charities. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At 4 months old, Zachary has the sort of baby cheeks that grandmothers like
to reach out and pinch. He recently rested one of those plump cheeks against
his mother's face, listening to her hum "Mary Had a Little Lamb." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Zachary loves music, according to his caretakers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His mother's greatest hope, she said, is "just for him to grow up and be
old." A cardiologist told the family that Zachary could lead a fairly normal
life, although he will tire easily and be prohibited from playing most sports.
Plus, he'll need to take medications. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For the time being, Zachary continues to grow fast. He eats more than
typical babies because he is burning more calories, his family said. He hasn't
learned to roll yet, nor does he spend much time on his stomach because of the
surgery to correct what's known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome - a malady
in which the left side of the organ is underdeveloped. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ann, a mother of three, familiarized herself with the rare heart condition
while Zachary, her fifth grandchild, was in intensive care. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At her Edwardsville apartment last month, Ann pointed to a photo of Zachary
taken while he was in the hospital, wires attached to every part of his tiny
body. She can name the function of every wire. "I wanted to know everything
that was going on with him and everything they were doing to him." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ann also came up with innovative ways - making and selling lollipops, for
instance - of raising the money the family desperately needs to shuttle
Zachary to medical appointments in Scranton, Allentown and Philadelphia. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A fund established earlier this year has received about $1,700 in
donations, Ann said. She has since sent letters that were published in area
newspapers, expressing her gratitude to the community. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jaime, who is a full-time mom, used some of the contributions to buy an air
purifier for her son's room. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ann, who said she is disabled, put most of the cash toward Zachary's
transportation expenses: a car down payment, insurance, maintenance, gasoline
and tolls. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They will be on the road again by Dec. 12, taking Zachary to his second
surgery. The child's loved ones plan to stay in the Philadelphia Ronald
McDonald House until he gets discharged, which could be about Dec. 20. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Computer users can follow Zachary's progress by visiting and registering at
a special Web site, accessible at www.carepages. com. (Type in this code:
jamie andzachary.) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ann sometimes scans the Internet for medical information about people with
Zachary's type of heart trouble, but what she discovers can be upsetting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Perusing one site, she found photographs of adorable babies with wires
attached to them in hospital cribs, then photos of those babies in Halloween
costumes, in front of a Christmas tree, at a park. Next, Ann clicked the
computer mouse on a particular photo. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This one ...," she said. "This one really got me." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It was a photo of a toddler in an open casket, surrounded by stuffed
animals. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Zachary's father, Mike, and his girlfriend, plan to celebrate Christmas
with the baby on Dec. 10 - as sort of a good luck celebration. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Meanwhile, Jamie and Ann intend to mark the holiday with Zachary later in
the month. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The best present in the world," said Ann, "is for Zachary to come home
before or on Christmas." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Read previous Book of Dreams stories at www.timesleader.com &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gasoline gift card: $125 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Groceries: $200 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Child's dresser: $140 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Learning toys: $45 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Clothes (for Jamie): $75 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Dream Total: $585 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Zach's Family Could Use Gas Money/ Book Of Dreams