SPECIAL F/A-18 HORNET AIR SHOW SCHEDULED FOR 5-YEAR-OLD TRANSPLANT PATIENT DURING PILOT FOR A DAY PROGRAM

Wednesday, March 12, 2008 • 10:35 a.m.
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi

(Corpus Christi, TX) Two F/A-18 Hornets will be making a special stop at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi to visit with 5 year old kidney transplant patient, Izrel Saldivar, as part of the Pilot for a Day Program on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 10:35 a.m. Marine Corp Squadron VMFA-112 from Fort Worth, Texas will not only fly over the base, but they will also make a full stop, allowing Saldivar to climb into the aircraft.

Saldivar, or “Izzy” as he is known at hospital, is a favorite among staff. He has been in and out of the hospital due to end stage renal disease but will celebrate his transplant anniversary on Friday, March 14. Izzy also suffers from Caudal Regression Syndrome, a congenital defect that affects the lower half of his body, but because of his transplant a year ago, Izzy is more energetic and is now able to walk with the use of a walker or braces. Driscoll Children’s Renal Transplant Program has performed kidney transplants on patients from the Rio Grande Valley, Corpus Christi and all surrounding areas and continues to look forward to serving the children of South Texas.

“Pilot for a Day” is a monthly program where chronically or terminally ill children are invited to spend the day at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas to experience life as a military pilot, distracting them from normal days of chemotherapy or painful procedures. For admittance to the Base, please call Bob Torres, Public Affairs Officer for Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, by 9 a.m. tomorrow at 361-961-2674 or his cell number, 361-533-1816.

About Driscoll Children’s Hospital
“Improve the health of adults and you give them back their health …
Improve the health of children and you give them their life.”

Since opening its doors in 1953, Driscoll Children’s Hospital has been offering hope and healing to the children of South Texas for half a century. The facility is a 189-bed pediatric tertiary care center with pediatric board-certified specialists representing 19 medical and nine surgical specialties. Each year, more than 6,000 children are admitted for inpatient care, 5,000 for day surgery, and 50,000 for outpatient primary and specialty care, as well as 40,000 for emergency care, as the first South Texas hospital with emergency services exclusively for children. Additionally, Driscoll maintains a state-of-the-art ground/air transport team, 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit, 40-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and specialized medical outreach.

www.driscollchildrens.org

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