Concert for Linny

NOON-5 PM

ON THE GROUNDS OF GATEWAY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

NORTH HAVEN CAMPUS

88 BASSETT RD., NORTH HAVEN

New Haven, CT. - Milford resident Linny Henry was an active, healthy fifteen-year-old...a swimmer and a member of her brother's band. Then she contracted a parasite and her health deteriorated to the point that today, six years later, she is in a wheelchair. A Cleveland Clinic this spring finally diagnosed her problem, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome P.O.T.S. or POTS. The good news is that treatment which may restore up to 80% of can begin. Linny has adequate insurance, but not enough money to pay for the trips to Cleveland.

That's why on September 1, Sunday, Labor Day Weekend, the Nutmeg Symphonic Pops Orchestra (the orchestra in residence at Gateway Community College) is holding a fundraiser at Gateway's North Haven campus, 88 Bassett Road. It's an old-fashioned, day-long picnic starting at Noon and featuring the Pops Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Dino Ciaburri, several local bands, good food and raffles. In the event of rain, the party will move indoors.

All proceeds will benefit Linny's Medical expenses.

More on POTS:

Unless you or a family member have been dealing with POTS you probably haven't heard of it before. But for one in 100 young people, that complaint, “I'm tired,” is more than a casual comment. It is a indicative of a syndrome which may affect up to half a million Americans, usually girls between the ages of 12 and 20.

The major symptoms are dizziness or fainting upon standing up. In laymen s' term when POTS' patients move from lying down to standing their heart rate increases too quickly. With most people the rate goes from 70 or 80 beats per minute to 90; but with POTS the rate may rise as high as 120 beats per minute. Blood doesn't get to the head and dizziness and fainting occur.

You don't catch POTS, you develop it. It is believed it is caused by an imbalance of the nervous system's control of blood flow. It can be triggered by various bodily stressors including a high fevered illness or mononucleosis, being pregnant, giving birth, physical trauma, chemotherapy or surgery.

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