Bride-to-Be Is Reunited with Her Two Best Men on Valentine’s Day – the St. Francis Doctors Who Literally Saved Her from a Broken Heart
Roslyn, New York – Alicia Pellegrino doesn’t consider herself a miracle despite surviving a devastating car crash that left her heart torn in three places. The 27-year old bride-to-be from Wantagh says the miraculous ending to what could have been a tragic story was due to the two St. Francis physicians and the team of nurses who saved her life. Now, on the “eve” of her wedding next month, Alicia will celebrate being able to walk down the aisle with a bridal shower at the hospital on Valentine’s Day.
“Dr. Masciello was my first miracle,” says Alicia, who was rushed to Southside Hospital on January 9, 2006, after a car crash left her clinging to life. Michael Masciello, M.D., the attending cardiologist that day quickly realized her heart was in big trouble. Alicia’s coronary artery was severed and there were tears between the chambers of her heart. The doctor rushed her to St. Francis Hospital staying with her in the ambulance as she began to weaken from the loss of blood.
When Alicia arrived at St. Francis, Christopher LaMendola, M.D., stepped in, performing open heart surgery for seven hours to repair her broken heart. “He was my second miracle of the day,” says Alicia. Amazingly, a week later she was released from the hospital and was able to return to a normal life.
“Alicia’s incredible story is living testament to the skill of our physicians and nurses, whose excellence can be felt every day throughout the Hospital,” says Alan Guerci, M.D., President and CEO. “The entire St. Francis family wants to wish her all of the best as she embarks on the next chapter of her life.”
Her two medical best men, Drs. LaMendola and Masciello, couldn’t be happier to hear that Alicia is getting married to the man she considers the third miracle in her life, her fiancé, John Nicoletti.
Unlike other brides, instead of focusing on gifts for her shower, Alicia says she wishes she could give the hospital a new wing. The soon-to-be bride says she’s already been blessed with everything she needs and too many miracles to count.
Contact:
Paul Barry, 516-705-6657, paul.barry@chsli.org
Rosemary Gomez, 516-705-6656, rosemary.gomez@chsli.org
