Hello all,
Here is the latest news about Mayra:
Today has brought some great improvements in Mayra's condition. She is able to hold a water bottle today while yesterday she could not. She even said the word water. She also repeated her name twice. She is off of the antibiotics and the infection is pretty much all gone, and they are thinking about starting rehab with her soon.
As far as the broadcasts are concerned, the Noticias 41 one aired last night at around 11:00pm (sorry I didn't know sooner!) and still no news yet about when the others will be aired.
The campaigning process for donations is continuing in full force in Westchester County (and all over, I'm sure), and posters are being generated to ultimately be placed in several participating businesses throughout the county. Also, the response to the newspaper articles and broadcasts has, so far, been overwhelming. I hope everyone keeps up the good work in praying for Mayra and her family!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Just a note...
Make sure to keep me updated as to whatever anyone is doing on their own to raise money and/or awareness about Mayra so that I can post it! Again, thank you so much for everyone's continuing love and support.
Coming up...
Mayra's story will be in future airings of Noticias 41, Channel 12 Westchester, and WCBS FM. I believe the WCBS radio one already ran once today at 12:00pm, but it is supposed to air sporadically a few more times. I will post when the other stories will be airing as soon as I find out. Sorry for everyone not in Westchester that cannot watch and listen to them, but I will also try to see if they can somehow be taped.
Coming up...
Mayra's story will be in future airings of Noticias 41, Channel 12 Westchester, and WCBS FM. I believe the WCBS radio one already ran once today at 12:00pm, but it is supposed to air sporadically a few more times. I will post when the other stories will be airing as soon as I find out. Sorry for everyone not in Westchester that cannot watch and listen to them, but I will also try to see if they can somehow be taped.
Newest Newspaper Article- 2.21.07
This article was in today's newspaper (February 21st, 2007):
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070221/NEWS02/702210343/1018
White Plains student with meningitis comes home
By MELISSA KLEIN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
A college student from White Plains who contracted bacterial meningitis while studying in Spain was being evaluated at a New York City hospital yesterday after arriving back in the United States.
Mayra Rodriguez, 20, landed at LaGuardia Airport at 10 a.m. after flying overnight on an air ambulance. She was taken immediately to New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in Manhattan.
Irma Rodriguez said doctors were doing a battery of tests on her daughter, and the family did not have any information yet on her prognosis.
"It's a whole team of doctors and staff who are probably going to take a couple days to evaluate her," Rodriguez said.
Mayra, a junior at Binghamton University, became sick three weeks ago, shortly after arriving in Salamanca for a study abroad program. She was in a coma initially, but has made some progress and has been able to move around in her bed.
Her parents flew immediately to Spain to be with her and her father, Ramiro, accompanied her home on the air ambulance.
Irma Rodriguez, who flew home Monday, said Mayra has been calling out "mommy" and on Monday was able to repeat her own name.
Meningitis is an infection in the fluid that surrounds the brain. Symptoms can include a fever, headache, stiff neck, sore throat and vomiting.
Mayra was taken to a Salamanca hospital a day after complaining of a headache, sore throat and fever.
Mayra had been vaccinated against meningitis, but the vaccine does not protect against all strains of the illness.
Penny Judelson of White Plains has set up a fund to help defray expenses for the Rodriguez family.
Judelson said local businesses, college students and strangers were coming forward to contribute.
Judelson's daughter, Amanda, a close friend of Mayra's, held a party at the University of Pennsylvania last weekend that raised almost $700.
Contributions may be sent to Penny Judelson, Box 89, White Plains, N.Y. 10605-0089.
Checks should be made out to Mayra Rodriguez in care of Penny Judelson. Include your name and address with the contribution.
Reach Melissa Klein at mklein@lohud.com or 914-694-5063.
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070221/NEWS02/702210343/1018
White Plains student with meningitis comes home
By MELISSA KLEIN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
A college student from White Plains who contracted bacterial meningitis while studying in Spain was being evaluated at a New York City hospital yesterday after arriving back in the United States.
Mayra Rodriguez, 20, landed at LaGuardia Airport at 10 a.m. after flying overnight on an air ambulance. She was taken immediately to New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in Manhattan.
Irma Rodriguez said doctors were doing a battery of tests on her daughter, and the family did not have any information yet on her prognosis.
"It's a whole team of doctors and staff who are probably going to take a couple days to evaluate her," Rodriguez said.
Mayra, a junior at Binghamton University, became sick three weeks ago, shortly after arriving in Salamanca for a study abroad program. She was in a coma initially, but has made some progress and has been able to move around in her bed.
Her parents flew immediately to Spain to be with her and her father, Ramiro, accompanied her home on the air ambulance.
Irma Rodriguez, who flew home Monday, said Mayra has been calling out "mommy" and on Monday was able to repeat her own name.
Meningitis is an infection in the fluid that surrounds the brain. Symptoms can include a fever, headache, stiff neck, sore throat and vomiting.
Mayra was taken to a Salamanca hospital a day after complaining of a headache, sore throat and fever.
Mayra had been vaccinated against meningitis, but the vaccine does not protect against all strains of the illness.
Penny Judelson of White Plains has set up a fund to help defray expenses for the Rodriguez family.
Judelson said local businesses, college students and strangers were coming forward to contribute.
Judelson's daughter, Amanda, a close friend of Mayra's, held a party at the University of Pennsylvania last weekend that raised almost $700.
Contributions may be sent to Penny Judelson, Box 89, White Plains, N.Y. 10605-0089.
Checks should be made out to Mayra Rodriguez in care of Penny Judelson. Include your name and address with the contribution.
Reach Melissa Klein at mklein@lohud.com or 914-694-5063.
Monday, February 19, 2007
The Mayra Fund Information
For anyone interested in fundraising and/or donating to The Mayra Fund, here is the information:
Penny Judelson c/o Mayra Rodriguez
P.O. Box 89
White Plains, New York 10605-0089
Thank you!
Penny Judelson c/o Mayra Rodriguez
P.O. Box 89
White Plains, New York 10605-0089
Thank you!
Mayra is coming back to NY!
Hello everyone,
Mayra is flying in to Westchester County Airport tonight at around 1 o'clock in the morning with her father Ramiro. Irma is already back in NY and waiting for them at Columbia Presbyterian. I'm not sure yet on what the visiting policy will be, but I will post that as soon as I hear.
Thank you again for everyone's support and well-wishing. I'm sure Mayra's family and friends greatly appreciate everyone's kind words. A fund raiser was held at the University of Pennsylvania and we were able to raise over $650, so thank you to everyone invloved in making that possible as well.
Mayra is flying in to Westchester County Airport tonight at around 1 o'clock in the morning with her father Ramiro. Irma is already back in NY and waiting for them at Columbia Presbyterian. I'm not sure yet on what the visiting policy will be, but I will post that as soon as I hear.
Thank you again for everyone's support and well-wishing. I'm sure Mayra's family and friends greatly appreciate everyone's kind words. A fund raiser was held at the University of Pennsylvania and we were able to raise over $650, so thank you to everyone invloved in making that possible as well.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Welcome to Mayra's Blog!
Welcome to the blog about Mayra's progress. Check back often as this will be updated with any new news. If you have any information please e-mail me at amandafj at sas.upenn.edu.
Our first piece of information comes via the Journal News paper in White Plains, New York:
http://mail.google.com/mail/?auth=DQAAAG4AAAACMribtdrM_WT1omVoE9S8lVk_ws8TxDlX9uj4ymolveUXDvv6X7jjABHihHaI3JLCnEKY9tSbl2UODdyhu5jGwebVjpzdMOoDpmSynlYlDJWGDNlBO3JyYu0hl0zTT9uDqneUMi3S2k9gMgL9TxIG
College student from White Plains gets meningitis in Spain
By MELISSA KLEIN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
All signs pointed to a good experience for Mayra Rodriguez as she set out this January on her semester abroad in Spain.
Her Spanish was good enough to get her into the regular classes at the University of Salamanca, northwest of Madrid, and she was volunteering to teach English at a local elementary school.
"Everything we heard was happiness," said her mother, Irma Rodriguez of White Plains.
In a matter of hours, that unraveled. Mayra called her mother three weeks ago to say she had a horrible headache. Twelve hours later, at 4 a.m., her parents received a call that Mayra, 20, was in the hospital.
Irma and Ramiro Rodriguez rushed to Spain. When they arrived, their daughter was in a coma and they were told she had bacterial meningitis.
Mayra, a junior at Binghamton University, has since made some improvement, and her mother said she can move around in bed and is able to eat a bit of food.
"It's telling you that it's hope," her mother said this week in a telephone interview from Spain. "When we came, they told us there is no hope."
As of yesterday, Mayra was still not talking and was not aware of what was going on around her, Rodriguez said.
The road ahead for Mayra will likely be a lengthy one. As her parents this week were making arrangements to have her flown back to New York on an air ambulance, a family friend in White Plains was working to set up a nonprofit fund to help defray medical expenses.
Mayra became sick despite having been vaccinated against meningitis.
College freshmen living in dormitories are at higher risk of contracting meningococcal disease, which can cause meningitis. New York state law requires colleges to inform students and parents about the benefits of the meningitis vaccine, but does not require that students take it.
Rodriguez said her daughter had been vaccinated twice - once before attending a summer program at a California college while she was still in high school and again before she started college.
The vaccine offers protection against most, but not all, strains of meningococcal disease.
Meningitis is an infection in the fluid that surrounds the brain and is treated with antibiotics.
"It's one of those infections that prior to antibiotics was 100 percent fatal," said Dr. Gary Wormser, chief of infectious diseases at Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College, both in Valhalla. "Now with antibiotics, the majority are not fatal."
The consequences of an infection can be devastating, though, sometimes leading to amputation because of gangrene in the extremities. Wormser said Mayra was past the point where gangrene would be a concern.
"I wouldn't even make a guess as to how much she could improve," he said. "It could be quite significantly."
Mayra went to Spain in early January for a study abroad program run by another school in the state university system, SUNY Cortland.
Students live with host families in Salamanca and can take special classes for foreigners. Mayra qualified, though, to enroll in the University of Salamanca.
"Her Spanish is good, and then she's an excellent student on top of that," said Katharine Krebs, director of international education at Binghamton University, where Mayra is majoring in philosophy, politics and law.
When Mayra became ill Jan. 26, Krebs, who speaks Spanish, flew to Spain and spent a week there to offer support.
Krebs said every student in the study abroad program was required to have health insurance to cover them overseas as well as a policy for medical evacuation.
Mayra's parents, who also speak Spanish, were keeping a 24-hour vigil at their daughter's bedside. Irma Rodriguez said that the hospital was understaffed, and that they never deal with the same doctor twice.
Rodriguez has a part-time catering business and works for the Women's Enterprise Development Center in White Plains. Her husband works in construction.
Penny Judelson of White Plains has set up a nonprofit foundation to help defray the family's expenses. She said White Plains lawyer Theresa Girolomo donated her services to help set up the fund.
Judelson's daughter, Amanda, is a close friend of Mayra's. Judelson said Mayra was an accomplished violinist and artist who once worked for a domestic violence program in White Plains and as a volunteer at White Plains Hospital Center.
"This child is just a gift," she said.
Our first piece of information comes via the Journal News paper in White Plains, New York:
http://mail.google.com/mail/?auth=DQAAAG4AAAACMribtdrM_WT1omVoE9S8lVk_ws8TxDlX9uj4ymolveUXDvv6X7jjABHihHaI3JLCnEKY9tSbl2UODdyhu5jGwebVjpzdMOoDpmSynlYlDJWGDNlBO3JyYu0hl0zTT9uDqneUMi3S2k9gMgL9TxIG
College student from White Plains gets meningitis in Spain
By MELISSA KLEIN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
All signs pointed to a good experience for Mayra Rodriguez as she set out this January on her semester abroad in Spain.
Her Spanish was good enough to get her into the regular classes at the University of Salamanca, northwest of Madrid, and she was volunteering to teach English at a local elementary school.
"Everything we heard was happiness," said her mother, Irma Rodriguez of White Plains.
In a matter of hours, that unraveled. Mayra called her mother three weeks ago to say she had a horrible headache. Twelve hours later, at 4 a.m., her parents received a call that Mayra, 20, was in the hospital.
Irma and Ramiro Rodriguez rushed to Spain. When they arrived, their daughter was in a coma and they were told she had bacterial meningitis.
Mayra, a junior at Binghamton University, has since made some improvement, and her mother said she can move around in bed and is able to eat a bit of food.
"It's telling you that it's hope," her mother said this week in a telephone interview from Spain. "When we came, they told us there is no hope."
As of yesterday, Mayra was still not talking and was not aware of what was going on around her, Rodriguez said.
The road ahead for Mayra will likely be a lengthy one. As her parents this week were making arrangements to have her flown back to New York on an air ambulance, a family friend in White Plains was working to set up a nonprofit fund to help defray medical expenses.
Mayra became sick despite having been vaccinated against meningitis.
College freshmen living in dormitories are at higher risk of contracting meningococcal disease, which can cause meningitis. New York state law requires colleges to inform students and parents about the benefits of the meningitis vaccine, but does not require that students take it.
Rodriguez said her daughter had been vaccinated twice - once before attending a summer program at a California college while she was still in high school and again before she started college.
The vaccine offers protection against most, but not all, strains of meningococcal disease.
Meningitis is an infection in the fluid that surrounds the brain and is treated with antibiotics.
"It's one of those infections that prior to antibiotics was 100 percent fatal," said Dr. Gary Wormser, chief of infectious diseases at Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College, both in Valhalla. "Now with antibiotics, the majority are not fatal."
The consequences of an infection can be devastating, though, sometimes leading to amputation because of gangrene in the extremities. Wormser said Mayra was past the point where gangrene would be a concern.
"I wouldn't even make a guess as to how much she could improve," he said. "It could be quite significantly."
Mayra went to Spain in early January for a study abroad program run by another school in the state university system, SUNY Cortland.
Students live with host families in Salamanca and can take special classes for foreigners. Mayra qualified, though, to enroll in the University of Salamanca.
"Her Spanish is good, and then she's an excellent student on top of that," said Katharine Krebs, director of international education at Binghamton University, where Mayra is majoring in philosophy, politics and law.
When Mayra became ill Jan. 26, Krebs, who speaks Spanish, flew to Spain and spent a week there to offer support.
Krebs said every student in the study abroad program was required to have health insurance to cover them overseas as well as a policy for medical evacuation.
Mayra's parents, who also speak Spanish, were keeping a 24-hour vigil at their daughter's bedside. Irma Rodriguez said that the hospital was understaffed, and that they never deal with the same doctor twice.
Rodriguez has a part-time catering business and works for the Women's Enterprise Development Center in White Plains. Her husband works in construction.
Penny Judelson of White Plains has set up a nonprofit foundation to help defray the family's expenses. She said White Plains lawyer Theresa Girolomo donated her services to help set up the fund.
Judelson's daughter, Amanda, is a close friend of Mayra's. Judelson said Mayra was an accomplished violinist and artist who once worked for a domestic violence program in White Plains and as a volunteer at White Plains Hospital Center.
"This child is just a gift," she said.
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