Cori Glidden, seated, is show with her parents, Scott and Jeannye Glidden, and a portion of the gifts and well wishes she received while in the hospital at Danville and Philadelphia. The red heart Cori holds was given her by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia staff following her open heart surgery. The very large stuffed dog was brought to Philadelphia by her classmates the day before surgery. Cori also received a "get well" quilt (shown right) made by her cousins from Texas.
HELEN B. FOSTER, Correspondent
Cori Glidden, a seventh grader at Susquehanna Community High School, who collapsed last month while going through some conditioning exercises, returned home last Monday from the hospital.
The daughter of Scott and Jeannye Glidden ofJackson Avenue, Susquehanna was welcomed home on August 1, with a show of love and support from residents of the borough and those affiliated with the school district from her 14-day stay inGeisingerHospitalinDanvilleand the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
CORI GLIDDEN
Greeting Cori as her parents’ vehicle arrived at the borough limits were police cars with lights; members of the Susquehanna Fire Company and Auxiliary with a fire truck and ambulance, her cross country coach and team members as well as others.
Cori was involved in some conditioning on July 19, for the cross country team with her friend Jessica Plutino when she collapsed. From that point on it was as if there was Divine Intervention, her mother said.
Beth Matis Tingley very seldom visits her mother during the morning hours but that morning Beth was in her mother’s yard, located at the top ofLaurel Street, watering flowers when Cori’s heart gave out.
A quick call to 911 brought EMT’s and aBarnes Kasson Hospital ambulance almost immediately. When the call came in it just so happened there were EMT’s and an ambulance all in the same location at that moment. Making the block and a half trip toLaurel Streetfrom BK with the right personnel is credited with saving Cori.
According to her father. David Passetti was able to restart Cori’s heart and with the assistance of others made it possible to move Cori to the helicopter landing pad.
People with scanners heard the first call and those dreaded words, “unresponsive.” Continuing to listen for any news, people became more hopeful of a positive outcome as a helicopter arrived and the young girl left the landing pad forDanville.
According to a family member, Dr. B. Patel was on the scene when a helicopter arrived and directed the helicopter to Geisinger. It was the doctors at Geisinger who determined Cori had a congenital heart defect, ALCAPA that would require open heart surgery. Very few children born with the missing artery make it out of infancy due to lack of oxygen, the family was told.
Once it was learned Cori would require heart surgery, family members from all over theUSAbegan researching the best hospital for this particular problem. When they decided Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was the place they wanted Cori to go for the next step in her recovery, the doctors at Geisinger agreed. ThePhiladelphiahospital sent their ambulance with a medical team to do the transfer.
From the time the helicopter lifted off on July 19, until she arrived back home, it was a daily question on everyone’s lips, “any news about Cori today.”
When it was learned Cori had been moved to Philadelphia for open heart surgery, the residents stepped up once again with prayers and good thoughts to help sustain the Glidden family, that not only includes Cori’s parents, Scott and Jeannye, her sisters, Casey and Christy but also her grandparents, Chuck and Linda Glidden; Marilyn Williams, all from Susquehanna and her large extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins.
Cori is a member of a sports family and planned to make cross country her fall sport. Her father was a coach atSCHSfor 26 years and her sister, Christy was a star basketball player for the Sabers, reaching the 1,000 point mark during her final year of play at the local high school. Casey also played basketball and volleyball.
The joy, or curse as some might see it, of living in a small town is everyone cares for their neighbors, shows concern and offers help when tragedy strikes.
It seemed like a long 14 days as everyone who was unable to make the trip to eitherDanvilleorPhiladelphiawaited for Cori to return home.Cori’s mother said the family is so thankful for the community support and Scott added they are thankful for such great people being available when Cori needed them.
SCSD administration and faculty are offering support and are willing to assist with Cori’s recovery.
Cori said they are making a second set of school books available for her to have at home so she will not need to carry books back and forth until she is completely recovered from the surgery. Anything else she needs will be available as the need presents itself
A welcome home party was held at the family home on Tuesday evening for Cori and her family, classmates, SCSD faculty members and friends.
Cori is now the second SCHSstudent in recent history to be called a medical miracle.
David Vale who graduated last June survived a horrific electrical shock while working a summer job between his junior and senior year of high school. It took David 10 months to recover enough to play with his volleyball team.. When interviewed by the Scranton Times-Tribune, David said, “I am lucky to be alive.” Vale also was a member of the Sabers cross country team
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