Harmonica Clear Lung Project
Donation protected
My name is Tom Genovese and I'm raising money for children that are presently hospitalized and at risk of lung infections.
About a month ago my five year old grand nephew, Jordyn went to wake up his brother who was asleep in his upper bunk. Jordyn climbed the ladder, but lost his balance as he reached over to nudge Devin awake. Jordyn's leg got caught between the rungs of the ladder and he fell lacerating his spleen. Jordyn was rushed to the Connecticut Children's Medical Center where he spent the next 5 days under observation and pain management.
When I went to visit the “little guy” I didn't want to go empty handed, so I went to a toy store in Simsbury, CT to find the perfect gift. I walked out of the store five minutes later knowing I had found it. I had purchased an inexpensive ($8) harmonica. At the time I had no idea that Jordyn was assigned to incentive spirometry, an exercise where a patient has to blow into a tube a number of times each day, oftentimes hourly, in order to keep their lungs clear and prevent infection during elongated bed rest.
Though incentive spirometry is painless in itself, it is a boring, but neccesary exercise. My gift to my grand nephew, according to the visiting surgeon, was a great idea. What better way to keep a child's lungs moving? Now this doctor wants to provide harmonicas to other children that have had operations and are confined to bed rest. The money I am raising will go entirely toward buying harmonicas for hospitalized children to keep them moving their little lungs. While the child is creating music, they are also exercising their lungs and keeping themselves from a lung issue.
My visit to the children's hospital was an eye opener. It was also heartbreaking. There are so many little ones that are admitted every day with everything from a lacerated spleen to cancer. These children spend a lot of time in their assigned bed and vulnerble to lung infection and/or fluid buildup. Let me thank you in advance for your support of this project. By the way, I found a source where I can get harmonicas for less than $3 each. That will help a lot of children.
Tom
About a month ago my five year old grand nephew, Jordyn went to wake up his brother who was asleep in his upper bunk. Jordyn climbed the ladder, but lost his balance as he reached over to nudge Devin awake. Jordyn's leg got caught between the rungs of the ladder and he fell lacerating his spleen. Jordyn was rushed to the Connecticut Children's Medical Center where he spent the next 5 days under observation and pain management.
When I went to visit the “little guy” I didn't want to go empty handed, so I went to a toy store in Simsbury, CT to find the perfect gift. I walked out of the store five minutes later knowing I had found it. I had purchased an inexpensive ($8) harmonica. At the time I had no idea that Jordyn was assigned to incentive spirometry, an exercise where a patient has to blow into a tube a number of times each day, oftentimes hourly, in order to keep their lungs clear and prevent infection during elongated bed rest.
Though incentive spirometry is painless in itself, it is a boring, but neccesary exercise. My gift to my grand nephew, according to the visiting surgeon, was a great idea. What better way to keep a child's lungs moving? Now this doctor wants to provide harmonicas to other children that have had operations and are confined to bed rest. The money I am raising will go entirely toward buying harmonicas for hospitalized children to keep them moving their little lungs. While the child is creating music, they are also exercising their lungs and keeping themselves from a lung issue.
My visit to the children's hospital was an eye opener. It was also heartbreaking. There are so many little ones that are admitted every day with everything from a lacerated spleen to cancer. These children spend a lot of time in their assigned bed and vulnerble to lung infection and/or fluid buildup. Let me thank you in advance for your support of this project. By the way, I found a source where I can get harmonicas for less than $3 each. That will help a lot of children.
Tom
Organizer
Thomas Genovese
Organizer
Suffield, CT
