health & fitness

THE PARK

LIVING

"I JUST DECIDED THAT

I DIDN'T WANT TO BE
ALONE ANYMORE

The late Alicia Schwartz, with
husband David and sons -Danny,
Jacob and Brett.

g/daking new friends is one of life's greatest pleasures.
Residents of The Park at Trowbridge often become re-
energized with a whole new zest for life as they make new
friends with people their own age, people they can relate to.

Alison Schwartz
Special to the Jewish News

L

See for yourself why seniors living at The Park at Trowbridge
experience an invigorating sense of independence, freedom
and optimism.

I Your story continues here...

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Southfield, MI 48033

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64

April 14 • 2011

"1

1

I

ike a freeze frame, I remember
exactly where I was when my
friend Alicia Schwartz called
to tell me she was in the hospital, that
something was wrong with her heart.
It was the end of last August, and I was
paying for back-to-school clothes at
the checkout; no reason to believe this
would be a life-changing phone call.
I had seen Alicia almost daily the whole
summer — our 7-year-olds are best
friends and always do camp together —
and apart from saying she was tired and
that her allergies were bad, there were no
red flags. Her internist sent her straight to
the hospital after realizing she had fluid
around her heart and in her lungs, which
explained why she was breathless and
had slightly swollen ankles.
"The doctors said Alicia had conges-
tive heart failure, but didn't know the
reason:' said her husband David of
Bloomfield Hills. "Within a couple of
days, they suspected amyloidosis and
said it was incurable and could progress
fairly quickly. They said the goal was to
get a heart transplant. We were stunned."
Amyloidosis is a plasma cell disorder
that causes abnormal protein to be
deposited in the organs. In Alicia's case,
this was due to a rare complication of
multiple myeloma (bone marrow can-
cer), and the protein had built up in her
heart. A heart transplant was only real-
istic if she could withstand chemothera-
py to get her cancer in check. Tragically,
she was too ill. Three days after her first
and only chemotherapy treatment, she
died at home.
David and their three boys — Brett,
15, Danny, 14, and Jacob, 7 — and the

rest of the family were heartbroken.
Cindy Levine had known Alicia since
junior high and roomed with her at
Michigan State University. They had
remained close all their adult lives.
Cindy was determined to do some-
thing to combat a disease none of us had
previously heard of, but affects 3,000
people in America each year. A teacher at
the Center for Yoga in West Bloomfield,
she felt a yoga fundraiser for the
Amyloidosis Foundation seemed perfect.
"Everyone loved Alicia so much
and I felt I wanted to celebrate her
life, remember her wonderful smile
explained Levine, of Franklin. "It seemed
really important to also raise money and
awareness to fight this terrible disease?'
David Schwartz also feels strongly
that people need to know more about
the disease. "There was so little tangible
evidence she was really sick',' he said.
"Feeling tired can be attributed to so
many things. But Alicia did have some
dark circles around her eyes, which is a
little-known warning sign."
At 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16, Cindy
Levine is holding an open-donation,
hour-long, slow-flow yoga class at the
Center for Yoga, 6710 Orchard Lake
Road, followed by a silent auction and
refreshments. Participants should bring
their own mats although some will be
available for use.
"I do realize that not everyone wants
to attend the yoga class; it's also OK
just to be in the room, sit on a mat and
observe Levine said. "I just want to
encourage everyone to join us for a trib-
ute to Alicia's life?'
Donations can be made in Alicia's
name to the Amyloidosis Foundation,
7151 N. Main, Suite 2, Clarkston, MI
48346. II

