Compassion, ice cream flow for Little Hearts O.B. woman raises awareness, funds for kids with heart conditions BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer Karen Tucci accepts a check from Friendly's manager Duval Black to benefit Big Hearts to Little Hearts, which helps children with heart defects. Also pictured are Alexandra Tucci (left), and Friendly's employee Kathy Guzman and owner John Kracke. In front is Nicholas, 5, who has had three surgeries related to his heart condition. OLD BRIDGE - The Friendly's restaurant in town lived up to its name recently as the owner opened its doors, and his heart, to a local children's charity. Big Hearts to Little Hearts, a charity organization dedicated to raising money for children with heart defects, hosted a December evening at the restaurant, located at Route 9 and Ferry Road. "It was one of our larger fundraisers," Friendly's owner John Kracke said. "People were pouring in." Kracke hosts between 15 and 20 Family FunNights each year, donating 15 percent of the proceeds of supporters' food and beverage checks to the given charity. Karin Tucci, an Old Bridge mom of a son born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), decided to garner funds for Big Hearts to Little Hearts by having a Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Awareness Night at the restaurant. "The place was packed that night," said Tucci, a chair of fundraising for the organization. Tucci spread the word about the event through advertising on the local television station and distributing fliers in schools. Braggables donated products to be sold. "What's great is that it enables me to bring in people who haven't been in here before," Kracke said. "It's a win-win situation for both of us. It helps us give back to the community, and at the same time, it helps us to grow the business." The evening yielded $350 fromFriendly's, and an additional $850 from product sales and a 50/50 raffle.All of the proceeds went to the cardiac center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). According to Tucci, her son, Nicholas, 5, had his own reasons for enjoying the evening of fundraising. Ice creamwas abundant, and he got a chance to hang out with his classmates. "He felt like a celebrity that day," Karin said. "He had a blast. It's good to be 5, even if you have a heart condition." Nicholas has had three surgeries to deal with his condition, which consists of a number of defects- including amissing valve- on the left side of his heart. He had his first surgery when he was only 4 days old. "Some kids, when they're born with this, they die almost immediately," Tucci said. "The oldest child living with his defect is in his early 20s." One in 100 babies is born with HLHS. There are now two children in Old Bridge with the condition, according to Tucci. The other child, Jaden Baez, was born one week away from Nicholas. The two are friends. A third child born in town in 2005 with HLHS died at 11months old. Tucci and her husband, Rudy, learned that Nicholas had heart problems when she was seven months pregnant. After hearing negative outlooks from several doctors, including recommendations to terminate the pregnancy, the couple found out about the newly opened fetal heart programat CHOP. Anurse told Tucci that the center had an 85 to 90 percent success rate of saving babies withHLHS, and thatNicholaswould be able to do many of the same activities enjoyed by kids with normally functioning hearts. "I always label hermy first ray of sunlight inmy own personal storm," Tucci said. Though the Tuccis, including their 14- year-old daughter Alexandra, are grateful to doctors at CHOP for the success of Nicholas' surgeries, they feel that their worries are far fromover. "They savedmy child's life, butwhat is his quality of life going to be," Tucci said. "It's kind of one day at a time." According to Tucci, many children with similar conditions go on to need additional surgeries, and sometimesmust use pacemakers. Asmuch research as possible is necessary to ensure a better quality of life for children with cardiac problems, she said. Although Nicholas is able to play just like other 5-year-olds, Tucci said his endurance is lower than most of theirs. He also has some physical developmental delays, she said. Nicholas is aware of his condition, and knows about the work of Big Hearts to Little Hearts. He takes daily medication for his HLHS, and Tucci said he haswhat resembles a roadmap of scars fromhis surgeries. "We talk about it very openly," Tucci said. Big Hearts to Little Hearts originated in Monmouth County and is based in Spring Lake. Though its hosts fundraising events throughout the year, its largest is the annual Heart Ball, a dinner-dance held at the Spring LakeBath and TennisClub. This year'sHeart Ball is scheduled for Feb. 2. InOctober, awalk-a-thon yielded $40,000, and in past years the organization has gotten large donations from Fisher-Price and First Years. Tucci said there is not enough attention or funding given to children with heart problems. "We don't have a celebrity spokesperson for us," Tucci said. "It's a lot of work to keep this thing going. I'm so happy to be involved, and I wish I could domore." Organizing the Family Fun Night at Friendly's was one example of Tucci reaching out to do asmuch as she can for the cause. Kracke said he is happy to help. "From our customers to the staff that works here, we want to be a community restaurant,"Kracke said. "That's kind ofwhat Friendly's is about. There are roots with Friendly's. I'm not just some restaurant on Route 9…I'mpart of the community." Formore information, tomake a donation or purchase tickets to the Heart Ball, contact Big Hearts to Little Hearts President Lynne Ramsay at (732) 528-0294 or visit the group's Web site at bigheartstolittlehearts.org.