Chicago, IL – September 24, 2008. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The holiday season Brian and Tracy Mazzei had envisioned for 2005 didn’t take place in a hospital. Yet here they were, with their infant son Trevor about to u
ndergo heart surgery.
Tracy had initially taken Trevor for a routine examination when he was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect known as Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (TAPVR), a condition that prevents the body from receiving proper blood circulation.
“I was in total disbelief,” Tracy admits. Trevor would be spending his first Christmas in a hospital bed.
The saving grace for the Mazzei family resided in the capabilities of modern medicine. TAPVR is a treatable condition.
Under the expert care of the Children’s Memorial Hospital staff, and with his family close by, Trevor endured a successful surgery.
Nearly three years later, Trevor is a happy and healthy toddler. The story doesn’t end here, however.
The Mazzeis have become dedicated members of the Saving tiny Hearts Foundation (www.savingtinyhearts.org), a volunteer organization that raises funds for congenital heart defect research.
This fall, funds will be generated for the foundation via the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival (www.cbbfestival.com). The idea for the fest hatched out of Brian’s love of music.
To help get the wheels rolling, Brian called upon Mike Mulcahy, an old friend and former college band mate, and local producer Mike Raspatello. After one conference call and a couple of beers, the idea for Chicago’s largest independent music event was hatched, and within weeks the Congress Theater was on board to make it a reality.
Mulcahy’s current band, Majors Junction, is one of 16 groups on the bill, excited to join the Avett Brothers, David Grisman, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, Ha Ha Tonka, Dollar Store, and Billy Childers on the historic Main Stage.
And in the end, a portion of each ticket will be donated to the Saving tiny Hearts Foundation, in addition to awareness-building activities that will go on throughout the event.
Meanwhile, the Mazzeis still marvel at their son’s courage and the delicate care bestowed upon him.
“It is my hope that all children with congenital heart defects will be able to obtain the same quality of care,” Tracy explains. “With continued research, no parent will have to hear that their child’s heart defect is not fixable.”
On November 22nd, 2008, the Congress Theater will host the inaugural Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival (cbbfestival.com). While rooted in the foot-stomping influences of bluegrass and blues, the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival will transport the concertgoer through the genre-defying evolution of music today. The one-day event will serve as a tribute to two schools of music that continue to shape and inspire contemporary rock, jamband, funk, folk, roots, Americana, and indie cultures, while allowing festivalgoers to save a heart. A portion of each $31 ticket will be donated to the Saving tiny Hearts Society (www.savingtinyhearts.org), an non-profit organization that raises money for America’s #1 birth defect, congenital heart defects (CHD).
