Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/670198
PATRONS | Spring 2016 11 Santa's helpers proved "brown is the new red." Members of Brownie Troop 3625 from South Torrance's Seaside Elementary School paid a pre-holiday visit to the Torrance Memorial Burn Center. e troop brought with them toys for young burn survivors to enjoy during their stay in the unit. e young ladies have been working to earn their philanthropy badge. In addition, on January 30, the fi fth grade class at Seaside hosted a school carnival for young Torrance Memorial burn survivors to meet, play and feel connected with other children who have experienced similar events. ey had the opportunity to play in the snow, sled, play carnival games and collect prizes. Studies have shown that children suff er emotional eff ects from their injuries long after they have completed their physical recovery, so the event helped to serve as a step in their healing. Seaside Elementary Students Off er Comfort to Burn Center Patients EVERY DONATION COUNTS Second Chance at Life Inspires Giving Tuesday Gift WRITTEN BY CARLIE RICHMAN After experiencing nights without sleep and extremely swollen feet, a retired aerospace supervisor of computer operations, William Mullen, knew something was wrong with his health. He slid on his slippers, the only shoes that would fi t, and drove himself to Torrance Memorial Urgent Care. Due to his symptoms, he was immediately sent to the Torrance Memorial Medical Center Emergency Department, where he underwent an echocardiogram and computed tomography (CT) scan. Doctors discovered an aneurysm had formed on his left aorta. Mullen was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), but he wasn't in the clear yet. It was during his second night in the hospital that he went into cardiac arrest. e quick-thinking medical staff was able to bring him back to consciousness with a defi brillator, something the on-staff physician found remarkable. Had Mullen stayed at home, he would not be here to share his story today. Mullen went on to spend three nights at Torrance Memorial, after which he was transferred to Keck Medicine of USC. Torrance Memorial has an affi liation with USC's Keck School of Medicine to expand heart surgery services at the medical center in Torrance to provide expertise in a variety of complex heart procedures. A year has passed, and thanks to health care partners like Jack Sun, MD, thoracic and cardiac surgeon, Mullen has a new lease on life. "If it wasn't for Torrance Memorial, I would not be alive today," he says. On December 1, 2015, Mullen received an email from Torrance Memorial requesting donations for Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a global movement to celebrate generosity and to give back. Observed on the Tuesday following anksgiving (in the U.S.) after the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Mullen decided Giving Tuesday would be the perfect time to honor the experienced staff , nurses and physicians who saved his life just one year earlier. "I donated on Giving Tuesday to give honor to all of the staff in the ICU who save lives every day," Mullen says. " ank you for giving me a second chance at life." e Torrance Memorial Foundation celebrated Giving Tuesday for the fi rst time in 2015 to acknowledge that community support for local health care can take many shapes—large and small. "Measure your net worth not by how much you have, but by how many you impact with your generosity," Laura Schenasi, the executive vice president of the Torrance Memorial Foundation, says. "While Giving Tuesday is a great reason to give, Torrance Memorial is tremendously grateful for all gifts received year-round of any size." She continues, "Each one in some way benefi ts the more than 800,000 lives in our service area." Alexa Bres and Leslie Gomez, former pa ents at the Torrance Memorial Burn Center, prac ce making snowballs. Ma hew Reiss, MD, burn and reconstruc ve plas c surgeon, and his daughter Sachi, with Nancy Lomibao, mother of a young burn pa ent, enjoy Seaside's carnival for young burn survivors. Members of Brownie Troop 3625 present nurses at the Torrance Memorial Burn Unit toys for young burn survivors. To learn about various types of gi s one can make to Torrance Memorial, visit www.torrancememorial.org/giving.