Pupils Have Caring Words for Ill Infant

When Susan M. Pritchard learned that a fellow teacher’s grandson was born with a terminal heart condition, she rallied her students and everyone else at Washington Middle School and launched a read-a-thon for the baby boy.

Jonathan Matthew Walker was born in October with hypoplastic syndrome, a condition that affects one or two out of every 10,000 newborns. They are born with half a heart, and usually die within weeks. Only a heart transplant or a number of heart operations can prolong their lives.

Because Walker’s blood type is rare, it is unlikely he will get a heart transplant, his grandmother Nadele S. Manzo said. But with many costly surgeries, “doctors say Jonathan could live to be 25 to 30 years old,” the sixth-grade teacher said.

Her grandson lives with his parents, Martha and Eric Walker, in Elk Grove Village, Ill. Their medical insurance covers 60% of the hospital bills, but the expenses are mounting, Manzo said.

That’s why Pritchard created the read-a-thon, she said. Teachers have been seeking donations and pledges from residents, community organizations and the local police and fire departments.

Students, who are not soliciting funds, are doing their part by reading. Their goal is to read 1 million minutes for Walker. As of Tuesday, they had logged 515,295 minutes.

Pritchard, an education professor at Cal State Fullerton and science teacher at Washington, said donors have pledged about $2,000 so far.

“It’s a win-win situation,” Pritchard said. “Our students are learning to help others by helping themselves.”

Manzo said she is overwhelmed by the support from her co-workers and the pupils, who know her grandson only through pictures. “I love kids, and they’re showing me how much they care too,” she said.

Thirteen-year-old Marisol Carrillo said she reads an hour a day for Jonathan. “It’s just good to help other people because when you help, they help,” she said.

Added Kevin Rush, 13: “It’s sad that Mrs. Manzo’s grandson only has half a heart, and it’s good that everyone is reading to help out the little guy.”