NUMC docs deliver for Mother's Day

Anne Marie Ballato had nowhere to go. She was pregnant, and suffered from a rare, dangerous heart condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
  
Ballato, who was uninsured, was deemed to be high-risk and had been turned away from several hospitals and clinics. One health care provider told her she would have to put up $6,000 before even being evaluated, she said.
   
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a heredity disorder in which an abnormality of the heart muscle cells leads to a thickening and sometimes an obstruction of the outflow of circulating blood. According to medical professionals, there is a risk of sudden death because of the rhythm disturbances, while some patients go on to have heart failure. Several of Ballato’s family members died of the disorder.
   
With the recommendation of a family member, Ballato was pointed to the Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow. The hospital had strengthened its cardiology department with the recruitment of Dr. Sanjay Doddamani last July through a partnership with the North Shore-LIJ Health System.
   
Ballato delivered a healthy daughter, Izabella, on April 23. After her baby was delivered through a Caesarian section, a defibrillator was implanted inside Ballato to protect her heart as she deals with her condition.
  
“Last year at this time, we would not have been able to offer the defibrillator therapy for Ms. Ballato,” said Dr. Steven Walerstein, executive vice president for medical affairs and medical director of the NuHealth System. “Thanks to the elevation of the level of services that we can now provide, we are able to celebrate this success story.”
    
Ballato introduced her newborn to the entire NUMC medical staff that worked on her.  Ballato, 38, lives in south Valley Stream, near North Woodmere Park. Sitting beside her was her boyfriend, Izabella’s father, Matt Irwin of East Rockaway. Behind the couple was Anne Marie’s emotional father, Charles Ballato of Rockaway Beach.