Reporter Volume 26, No.8 October 27, 1994

By ELLEN GOLDBAUM
News Bureau Staff
Any set of parents whose child has had to have major surgery knows the
anguish that accompanies that experience. When the surgery is
successful, the relief is almost tangible.
	This summer, Joseph Gardella, Professor of Chemistry, and his
wife, Carol Kizis, Database Coordinator of the National Center for
Earthquake Engineering Research Information Service, went through that
cycle of fear and, happily, gratitude when their three-year-old
daughter, Claire Seung Hee Gardella, successfully underwent spinal
surgery at New York City's Hospital for Joint Diseases and Orthopedic
Institute. Following the operation, Claire underwent reha-itute. Not
long after that, Claire was back at the Children's Center in Cheekto-
waga, playing with her favorite toys and charming her teachers and
classmates. 
	Claire is one of the estimated 500,000 individuals in the U.S.
who has cerebral palsy. Each year in the U.S., about 5,000 infants are
born with CP and an additional 1,500 acquire it as young children. The
operation Claire had in New York City was part of her treatment, but
there is no cure for the condition. Still, Claire is making progress
all the time.
	"Claire has a smile and a personality that not only inspires
her parents," Gardella said, grinning, "but also all the people she
comes in contact with. She's an extremely popular kid over at the
center."
	Operated by the United Cerebral Palsy Association, the
Children's Center offers to developmentally disabled children a
comprehensive set of physical, occupational and speech therapies. The
center also runs an after-school program for working parents.
	"As a result of her condition, Claire has reduced motor
function and it's not certain she'll ever develop functional verbal
communication," said Gardella. "The idea behind the center is to
involve Claire and children like her in these different therapies as
early as possible." The earlier the children start getting help, the
better their chances of success, he added.
	From Claire's first day at the center, both Joe and Carol have
been impressed with it. They note that it is very well-staffed and
that at three years old, Claire has both a pre-school teacher and a
special education teacher. But it wasn't until they spent some time in
Pittsburgh after Claire's surgery that they discovered how special the
Children's Center is.
	"When we told people about the level of services that we get
at no cost from UCPA and that it's income-neutral, they told us that
in Pittsburgh, we would never find all of those services in one
place," said Gardella. 
	According to Gardella, those conversations brought home to him
the fact that New York State, and especially Erie County, offer a very
aggressive program in early intervention for children with
developmental disabilities, and a significant portion of the funding
for those services comes from SEFA/United Way.
	"UCPA couldn't run the Children's Center without SEFA/United
Way funding," said Gardella. 
	He added that having the services of SEFA agencies like UCPA
available in Buffalo makes for a higher quality of life for families
than it might be somewhere else. 
	"SEFA/United Way is such a sensible way to give to charity,"
Gardella added. "It comes right out of your paycheck and you can give
to any organization you want."