News

Baclofen Pump Implantation: Tracy was admitted Sunday, March 21, 2004 to Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital to undergo a surgery to implant an Intrathecal Baclofen Pump.Tracy had surgery on Tuesday, March 23rd and didn't wake up fast enough after her Baclofen Pump implantation. Everyone tried to figure out what was going on and four hours later they found out that the Baclofen Pump was set incorrectly. Tracy was only supposed to receive 80 mics per day of Baclofen and essentially, in four hours received 3,000 mics. Baclofen is a muscle relaxer and if a person with a "healthy brain" received that much of the drug, they would have been in a coma too. Tracy was in the ICU for two weeks and after stabilizing, was moved to an ortho-neuro rehab floor. She was in the hospital for 8 weeks.

Tracy's 22nd Birthday Party!
We celebrated Tracy's 22nd Birthday on February 29th, 2004 at Father John Mericantante's (Uncle Johnny) condo in Palm Beach, Florida. The party was a hit and everyone had a wonderful time. Tracy really enjoyed seeing everyone and thank you all for your support. We really appreciate your thoughfulness, generosity, and prayers.

Mother Teresa's Beatification
On Sunday, October 17th, 2003, We took Tracy to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the Mass in honor of Blessed Mother Teresa. Dad and Tracy had their picture taken by an AP reporter. You can view the picture located at my AOL Journal . In other news, on Mother's Day 2004, while we were walking to our normal spot in the garden at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Mom stopped to put Tracy's sunglasses on. She glanced over and saw something lying near a wall in an alcove by a nearby building. She went over to investigate and found a blue pair of rosary beads and a card with the Blessed Mother on it. We couldn't believe it. Who knows how she saw them or what made her look in that direction, but we feel like it's a definite sign, especially on Mother's Day!

Hollywood
Word has it that Mel Gibson stopped production of his latest movie, The Passion, which was filmed in Rome, and had the crew pray for Tracy for ten minutes! That is a true story, however the story about Mel Gibson's accident that was written on Tracy's guest book is inaccurate. To read the real story click here. Tracy also received autographs from Jack Johnson, the band Sister Hazel, John Mayer, and from her fav singer, Jimmy Buffett!

Young Authors
Cousin Jon won the Young Authors Award in New Hampshire for his story about Tracy called, "Praying for a Miracle"! He won first place out of 1000 other students in his grade! Congrats Jon! Feel free to click here to read Jon's story! Please note that some of the details are not accurate, however, he did a GREAT job!


The Star of Tracy
If any of y'all are stargazers, you can look up in the night sky tonight and see not one, but two stars named after Tracy. One is called "Tracy Anzalone", which is located in the constellation Corvus & Crater (The Crow & The Cup) and was given to Tracy by the Knapp Family, and the other is "The Star of Tracy", which is located in Leo Minor and is from Tracy's best bud, Fallon.

Saint Joseph's Altar
In Independence, LA, on Sunday, March 16th, Tracy was represented at the St. Joseph's Altar held at Mater Dolarosa Catholic School (Where Tracy and I went to Elementary School for a few years). This year the altar was dedicated to the sick and our cousin Caroline sat in Tracy's place at the altar. Mamaw was Caroline's "server". The St. Joseph's Altar is a Sicilian tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. Click here to learn more about the St. Joseph's Altar.


Please Pray With Us
Four Sisters of Mother Teresa's Order stopped by to see Tracy. They prayed over her and told us that everyday at 3pm they pray for the sick, especially Tracy. They invited us to pray with them at 3pm Eastern time everyday. We invite all of you to do so as well. Click here to find the Prayers in Time of Sickness that have been provided for us by the Federal Association of the Order of Malta.


Visitors
On Sunday, 16 February, 2003, Tracy had another special visit from two Sisters of Mother Teresa's Order. They gave Tracy a very special gift (on loan). They placed on her a relic of Mother Teresa! It is a medal and a piece of Mother Teresa's robe that has been placed in a plastic sleeve for protection. It was placed on Tracy's heart for a week, until the Sisters' came back to pick it up. Pretty incredible! Friends, family, priests, nuns, the Surgeon General of the Navy and even politicans have visited Trace! Senator Frist, the Republican Senate Majority Leader, stopped in to see Tracy while she was at NNMC. Tracy received a very special visit Monday, April 26th, 2004, from Dr. Donna Shalala, University of Miami President. She was glad to meet Tracy and Tracy nodded yes to greet her. Dr. Shalala promised that the University of Miami would stay in contact with Tracy. Way to Go Hurricanes!


News articles
Here are links to two articles that were written about Tracy in Gonzaga University's School newspaper, First Article and the Second Article. Some of the information is incorrect. Tracy is featured in an article in the Stars and Stripes Europe, a military paper. You can read the article at the following weblink: Tracy's Article. Please check out the following link to read an article that was written about "Project Anzalone" and the great people who provided us with dinner three nights a week while Tracy was outpatient at NRH in Washington, DC. Kelly Neely, the wife of Tracy's high school friend, Chad, wrote the article. NNMC Article .


Thank you
We have been reading all of your notes to her daily and can not believe the amount of love and prayers that have been posted on Tracy's site! Thank you! Keep them coming!

Pictured: Tracy at the top of the Isle of Capri