MONMOUTH BEACH, N.J. (May 28, 2009) - Leah Wasserman, Vice President of The Shana Foundation, a charitable organization which promotes public awareness about the dangers, warning signs, symptoms, and treatment protocol of bacterial meningitis, was recognized for her educational advocacy on behalf of both the public and the health care community by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey at a State House ceremony on May 21, 2009. Wasserman is a sophomore on the Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team and just finished an exceptional season in which she tallied 56 goals and was named second-team All-Boardwalk Region by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association.
State Senator Sean Kean, R-11, sponsor of the resolution and of legislation which would mandate education about bacterial meningitis as part of the health and physical education curriculum in all New Jersey public schools made the following remarks. "It is altogether proper and fitting for the members of this Legislature to recognize Madeline Wasserman, Denise Schulz, Leah Wasserman, and the members of The Shana Foundation for their endeavors in bringing attention to ways to prevent and eradicate Bacterial Meningitis from our community." Upon receiving the resolution, Wasserman declared, "I am determined to prevent the pain and devastation from an avoidable loss from striking other families and their friends. Emergency room personnel lack experience in managing this dreaded disease."
Wasserman established The Shana Foundation after the death of her daughter Shana, a vibrant and popular 19-year old that lived to serve others and to provide an example to the youth in her community. "This is a memorial to Shana, a way to create a lasting legacy for her. I wanted her passing to affect lives on a daily basis, and The Shana Foundation was the result," Wasserman said. She added, "College kids living in dorms, particularly in the Northeast, are at high risk and should all have a pneumococcal vaccine to prevent the strain of bacterial meningitis that Shana had. Freshmen are especially vulnerable because their immune systems are compromised by a radical change in lifestyle when they leave the comforts of home for the first time." Wasserman explained that the organization is supporting research to convert the current pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine into a life-saving conjugate vaccine. "We recommend that the existing pneumococcal vaccine be administered to all incoming college students across the nation," she said.
The New Jersey State Legislature has also declared the month of August - Shana's birth month - as Bacterial Meningitis Awareness Month.
Realizing there was a dire need for education and awareness on many levels, Wasserman sought a creative and powerful way to communicate with the public and the medical community. She created animation - a cartoon - starring a set of college-aged students who present Shana's story in the surfing community of Monmouth Beach, Shana's hometown. The cartoon is available for viewing on the organization's website, www.TheShanaFoundation.org, and was accepted for screening by the San Francisco International Children's Film Festival, the Hoboken International Film Festival (June 2nd), and the Long Island International Film Festival (July 17th). One of Wasserman's goals is to see the animation edited to age-appropriate levels and to be viewed as part of health curriculum in schools, so children of all ages and their families can learn the warning signs and dangers of the disease.
Wasserman has also designed plaques bearing the proper treatment protocol for the disease and has advocated for their placement in hospital emergency rooms across the country, where bacterial meningitis presents itself. A treatment protocol plaque is currently displayed in the emergency room of Monmouth Medical Center. The Shana Foundation has partnered with Dr. Allan R. Tunkel, M.D., Ph.D, in his role as chairman of both the Department of Medicine at Monmouth Medical Center and the Infectious Disease Society of America Bacterial Meningitis Guidelines Committee. Dr. Tunkel is a world-renowned specialist and author of the algorithim for the standard of care treatment protocol. He is narrator of an educational video aimed at medical doctors and other members of the health care community which has been made available on the organization's website and as a DVD. The Shana Foundation Treatment Protocol Plaque that hangs in emergency rooms contains a link which gives doctors instant access to proper therapy protocols in all cases of bacterial meningitis - for babies, children, and adults. "Utilizing proper doses of the right medication would instantly save lives and prevent crippling disabilities," Wasserman noted.
The Shana Foundation is actively seeking donors and sponsors to support its mission to assist in funding educational programs and treatment protocol plaques for hospital emergency rooms. Wasserman commended The New Jersey Marathon for their sponsorship of treatment protocol plaques and hopes that other marathons across the country will join in the effort to preserve lives.
More information is available by contacting Madeline Wasserman directly at (732) 263-0245 or by email at TheShanaFoundation@gmail.com . Future events include the "Welcome to Summer Party;" The Shana Ocean Mile Swim on August 3; the September 21 golf outing at Metedeconk National in Jackson, N.J.; The Shana Surf Jam on September 26, and The Shana Classic 5k Race on October 4. The Shana Ocean Mile Swim, Surf Jam and Classic 5k Race will be held in Monmouth Beach. Information is available on the organization's website www.TheShanaFoundation.org.
Story written by Lori Anne Oliwa - Atlantic Highlands Herald
