February Fundraiser at Bent Creek Country Club to Aid Lititz Toddler’s Family

Tiny Adam Maldano of Lititz has spent the past three months in a California hospital recovering from complications following heart surgery that his family had traveled cross-country from Pennsylvania for him to undergo at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.

When Adam went into cardiac arrest after the surgery in October, the family became stranded over 2700 miles from home. Adam’s story was first featured in a December 22 article on LititzDailyNews.com as part of a series about local families in need of assistance from the community.

Adam has been slowly recovering, but with his improved condition comes new challenges for the Maldonados. If their son is soon discharged to a rehabilitation facility 45 minutes away from the hospital as doctors reportedly desire, the family would have no place to stay. The family’s insurance is reportedly unwilling to pay for the flight back to Pennsylvania that Adam would require since he is on a ventilator.

“We’re between a rock and a hard place.”-Leigh Maldonado, Adam’s mother.

“We’re between a rock and a hard place,” said Leigh Maldonado, Adam’s mother, in a phone interview Sunday night from the Ronald McDonald House where the family has been staying since the surgery.

Leigh has been by Adam’s bedside for months, forced to be away from her job as a school bus driver while Adam’s father, Jerry, has had to miss work at Wilbur Chocolate. Both are without pay.

“They’re on the other side of the US, away from their home, their son is in the hospital, [and] they have no income,”  said Maria Klein, one of the organizers of a February fundraiser.

The Maldonados have been relying on donations from friends, family, and the Lititz community to pay their expenses in Lititz and California. Anyone can make a financial donation to the GoFundMe page set up for Adam by clicking here. The family is still short of their fundraising goal.

If Adam is discharged to rehab in California, his parents will be forced to find a motel nearby the facility where the family of five can stay, but they are without the funds to afford a room.

A Lititz fundraiser to be held in February, planned months ago by friends of the family, may prove critical to providing much-needed capital for the family to survive the next few months.

“They’re on the other side of the US, away from their home, their son is in the hospital, [and] they have no income,” said organizer Maria Klein, whose 5-year old son suffers from congenital heart disease. “I can’t even imagine how they’re dealing with all that pressure.”

Klein and two of her friends, Tanya Coonan and Stephanie Hoffman-Rainar, have organized the February 21 dinner and silent auction at Bent Creek Country Club. They are counting on the community’s continued support to make a difference for the Maldanados.

“We want to raise money for them, just to give a helping hand,” Klein said.

The cost is $125 for couples and $62.50 for individuals, and the event is open to the public. The women are hoping to host 220 guests at the gathering that will feature a catered Italian buffet, a candy table, and a DJ. Though invitations were mailed out two weeks ago, response has been slower than expected.

Klein and her associates plan to pay a visit to Lititz area businesses this week in search of donations for the event.

“Any kind of item for a silent auction, whether it’s a gift card, a specialty gift basket, or what their store has that they can spare” can be donated, according to Klein. “It doesn’t have to be anything big.”

Business who would like to donate items and guests who would like to attend may email the organizers at [email protected].  Those who wish to assist but are unable to attend may donate directly to the family via the GoFundMe account which may be accessed by clicking here.

“I can’t thank the community enough,” said Leigh Maldanado.