Nathan, 'the grand Martian'

Three-year-old son of Warwick native leads children’s hospital fund-raising effort, By Birgit Bogler Warwick - Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center has named Nathan Tormey its grand marshal of “Go the Distance,” the hospital’s annual fund raiser event on Sunday, April 10. Nathan is the three-year old son of Warwick native and Warwick Valley High School graduate Amanda (Urbanski) Tormey and her husband Bryan Tormey. Over the course of two days in August last year, Nathan suffered massive seizures. He underwent emergency brain surgery at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, which treats the region’s most serious pediatric cases. “It had been a normal day,” said Amanda, recalling the night her husband found their toddler aspirating on vomit while seizing. An ambulance rushed him to Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown, where they discovered the lesion on his brain. He was then rushed to Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital where he underwent surgery to remove a golf ball-sized tumor from his brain. Nathan had a grade 2 astrocytoma. He was first placed in the pediatric intensive care unit and then transferred to the regular pediatric ward. “They feel that all of it was benign, but there is a chance it can regrow,” said Amanda. Meanwhile, Nathan goes for tests every three months and has occupational and physical therapy. “Today you would never know by looking at him,” said Amanda about those six days last summer. How things have changed since August. On April 10, the child will lead former patients, their families, hospital staff and supportive community members from around the region on a casual, one-mile walk around Westchester Medical Center; 93 people are already supporting Team Nate for the walk. “It is the most amazing place that I never, ever want to go to again,” the child’s mother said, who also praised the hospital and its staff for the “awesome job of fulfilling the needs of children who have to be there.” She added: “He knows he’s the grand marshal, he has a sash that he got, but he doesn’t understand what a grand marshal is, and calls himself the grand Martian.’”

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For more information or to participate visit www.WorldClassMedicine.com/Walk.