How a New Jersey Father Discovered His Son’s NICU Nurse Was Also His Own

By Emily Drooby

An amazing coincidence has taken place in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at The Children’s Hospital at New Jersey’s Saint Peter’s University Hospital.

It started when Renata Freydin and David Caldwell’s son, Zayne, was born 10 weeks early.

On January 30, the premature baby was admitted to the NICU of the Catholic hospital in New Brunswick.

It’s the same place where David himself had been treated 33 years before – he was also born a preemie.

Feeling nostalgic after Zayne’s birth, the family looked at David’s old baby book and that’s when they had a revelation.

“I’m literally screaming, ‘Who is this?’ and he was like, ‘Oh that’s me and the nurse.’ And I said, ‘Who does this look like?’ And he said, “It can’t be her, it can’t be her,’” said Freydin.

She saw a photo of her husband being held by a nurse.

“When I was growing up I would always ask my mom, ‘Who is this lady in the baby book, holding me?’ My mom was like , ‘Oh, that was your nurse. She was amazing. She helped me. She reassured me that you were going to be okay when I couldn’t see you. She took great care of you the last day before you came home,’” said Caldwell.

That nurse was Lissa McGowan – the same woman who had been taking incredible care of the couple’s newborn Zayne.

“I could have been on the whole other side of the unit and never even saw them, let alone take care of them,” said McGowan.

Caldwell says it was more than a coincidence, calling it divine intervention from God and his mother whom he lost in 2004.

“That happening just reassured me that mom is watching over us, over her grandson from heaven, watching over her son, they said it’s fate,” he continued.

It’s often difficult for parents of preemies, as they have to leave their most precious gift in the hands of the hospital.

“Not having him with me is one of the hardest things,” said Freydin.

Knowing Lisaa is there has become a source of comfort for David and Renata.

“I was there then, and I’m here now. And hopefully giving them that comfort that I’m here and that they have a strong little guy, we will get him home as soon as he is ready,” said McGowan.

They say a nurse takes care of both the patient and their families, and for this family, that was especially true.

One Year After Pope’s Abuse Summit, Survivors Return to Rome

By Melissa Butz

It’s been one year since Pope Francis’ historic summit to address clergy sex abuse. Survivor-victims are gathering in Rome and they say the Pope’s fight to protect young and vulnerable people is gaining steam. Survivors say great progress has been made, and more is needed.

To be back at the Vatican seems like déjà-vu for Peter Isely, a childhood victim of clerical sex abuse. He recalls his time in Rome just a year ago, for the Sex Abuse Summit called for by Pope Francis.

The founder of Ending Clergy Abuse says until there is no more abuse, he will continue to advocate for victims. Yet, he admits in the course of the year, he has seen some progress.

“One is that for the Vatican State, there’s going to be a change in their statute, just there, for child sex abuse. The second change was about whistle-blowers. You know, that if you report you’re just going to be no reprisal or whatever, if you do it,” said Isely.

Isely named the third change as the destruction of papal secrecy.

He said while it’s taken time, the United States has especially made moves to fight abuse.

Additionally, dioceses throughout the world have organized church offices to receive abuse cases and the legal process has been clarified in many areas.

As a survivor, he admits he would like more done to protect each and every member of the Church; and as an activist, he says he will continue to fight until this safety is achieved.

Advocacy organizations, Ending Clergy Abuse and Bishops Accountability, both organized events in Rome throughout the week to highlight the change made, call for more transparency and demand zero tolerance yet again.

Here in the United States, much has been done to combat sexual abuse long before the Pope’s monumental summit.

The United States bishops have been credited for being on the forefront of policies that have been enacted by the universal church.

For example, in the U.S., a policy of zero tolerance has been in place since the 2002 Dallas Charter.

In addition, the U.S. bishops have long had an existing framework that includes victim outreach, reporting allegations to civil authorities and lay expertise on review boards.

A Kiss for Francis

Currents News Staff

It was a sweet sight at the Vatican – a picture captured the moment a man in the Pope’s audience planted a long kiss on the Holy Father’s forehead.

Pope Francis appeared to be smiling, when the man pulled his head toward him for the kiss that lasted several seconds.

No word on who the man is. He was seated in the front row which is reserved for sick or disabled people.

Currents News full broadcast for Thurs, 2/20/20

On the newscast: Sister Norma Pimentel is in New York promoting support for undocumented immigrants. Her work has earned the respect of Pope Francis; A little girl is at the center of a struggle. Her parents are in New York. She’s locked down in China; There was little attention paid at last night’s Democratic Debate to issues important to Catholics. Our political expert is here; And the Holy Father gets a kiss.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

Special Needs Employees Make Up the Staff of the No Limits Café

By Jessica Easthope

The day starts for employees at “No Limits Café,” with what they call the “pump-up session.”

But that’s not the only thing that makes the restaurant unique – it only employs adults with intellectual disabilities.

“Our mission is to give people with intellectual disabilities meaningful employment and to empower them and to show everybody else in the community what they’re capable of which is a lot,” explained Stephanie Cartier, the co-founder of No Limits Café.

She and her husband Mark decided to use their own experiences as motivation to make a much-needed change in their community.

“Our daughter Katie has down syndrome. You can stay in the school system until you’re 21 in the United States,” she explained. “And when she was 18 we said, ‘Okay, what’s going to happen because that part of their life is called ‘falling off the cliff.'”

Now, the newly opened café is helping others just like Katie. Employees take orders, prep food and serve, and they’re all doing it for their own reasons.

“I get paid, like a lot of money, and I can’t wait to show my friends and family,” said employee Claire Digiorgio.

Some, like Hayley Lawrence, love the independence.

“This is the first job that I can do stuff all by myself. I don’t need help,” she said.

Others, like Tom Hedden, do it to feel a sense of purpose.

“It makes me feel like there is something that I can actually do now, it makes me feel energized,” he explained.

And the employees use that energy in a way that puts a smile on customers faces.

No Limits Café is dedicated to training their current employees to work in the restaurant industry, but come the fall when the café closes its doors at night, it will open a world of possibility for others with intellectual disabilities.

“Our training academy, which will be at night, will train others with intellectual disabilities who don’t work here,” explained Stephanie.

For now, to eat at the cafe you need reservations so the employees can adjust to their duties and not get overwhelmed. But soon, walk-ins will be welcomed, showing customers willing to sit down for a delicious meal just how successful these people can be.

“If someone right now has a baby with special needs, by the time they’re old enough to work or graduate school, hopefully we won’t need a restaurant like this,” said Stephanie. “We’re the only restaurant that wants to close because there shouldn’t be a need for it, and there is.”

Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens Welcomes New Board Chairman

Currents News Staff

Helping to minister to God’s people is the Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens.

The non-profit raises millions of dollars to address the needs of the faithful across the diocese.

Joining Currents News is the new chairman of the board for the organization, Sam Romanzo.

Romanzo has been a faithful member of the Diocese of Brooklyn for over 30 years, and is now giving back to the diocese in this special way. He shares his hopes and goals for the Catholic Foundation, and how that money helps those in need.

Pope’s Favorite Nun Inspires New Yorkers to Advocate for Migrants at the Border

By Emily Drooby

Every day, Sister Norma Pimentel fights the surging humanitarian crisis at our southern border. Now, she’s in New York recruiting a new generation to help bring justice to migrants.

Speaking at the Catholic Manhattan College in the Bronx, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley shared with students her first-hand experiences at the border, including the plight of a woman denied asylum.

“She said, ‘What am I going to do? I can’t go back because my husband was killed, and I know if I go back I know my daughter and I will be killed, and I’m afraid,’” Sr. Norma recalled.

“People are there in the thousands,” she said.

Several students say they were inspired to come hear Sister Norma speak because of the time they spent at the border — a time they’ll never forget.

“Having to cut the women out of their jeans because they had the ankle monitors on was really hard,” said student Anna Rosario. “They were treated like animals.”

Anna has spent time in both El Paso and Brownsville, Texas, and was motivated to get involved because it could have been her.

“I’m from Latin America, and I can imagine that if my story was different, I would have been one of these migrants. So, I can see myself in them,” she explained.

Ireland Twiggs was also in Brownsville, and recalled the emotional toll it took to cross back into the U.S. from Mexico.

“It was like 500 feet from this concept of freedom, I think it was really hard for me to understand how we could keep going those 500 feet, and these people could not,” she said.

Sister Norma met with both Anna and Ireland. Their passion is the reason she travels the country: to raise awareness for an issue she says doesn’t get enough attention.

“The only thing different today is that it has been kind of swept under the carpet,” said Sr. Norma, “and pretend the problem is not here anymore because it was moved south of the border.”

Breakthrough Premiere at Sheen Center

Walk in Faith had the opportunity to attend an exclusive screening of the upcoming movie, Breakthrough, based on the remarkable true story of John Smith’s miraculous recovery after drowning, and how his mother’s unending devotion and faith played a pivotal role in saving his life. We talked with director Roxann Dawson, producer DeVon Franklin, and star Chrissy Metz about how their faith brought them together to create this truly inspiring story.

Democrats Debate: Bloomberg Faces Rivals for the First Time

Currents News Staff

Mike Bloomberg has been practicing for his first debate, and it appears his opponents have been practicing their attack.

“Anybody here worth $60 billion dollars – you can run for president,” said candidate Bernie Sanders.

Bloomberg has spent more than $400 million dollars in television, radio and digital ads targeting Super Tuesday states because he’s not on the ballot in Nevada, but his team argues there’s more to his campaign than just money.

“Mike believes that Donald Trump is an existential threat to this country,” explained Jason Schechter, director of communications for the Bloomberg campaign. “His re-election poses a huge, enormous challenge to America. So, he will spend whatever it takes to get Donald Trump out of office.”

Meanwhile, Senator Amy Klobuchar is welcoming Bloomberg to the debate stage

“I actually thought he should be on the debate stage, because I don’t think you should be able to just buy your way to the presidency,” she said.

The candidate who leads the delegate count right now, Pete Buttigieg, is taking aim at both Bloomberg and frontrunner Bernie Sanders.

“We’re asking people to choose between a revolution and a billionaire,”he said. “I just don’t think that’s speaking to where most of us are.”

Joe Biden hasn’t been where he wants to be, finishing at the bottom of the pack in both Iowa and New Hampshire, but now hoping for a strong finish in Nevada.

“We choose unity over division,” he said. “We choose, we choose compassion over cruelty and maybe more importantly we choose truth over lies, truth over lives, so folks, it’s time for us to get up!”

As for Senator Elizabeth Warren, she tweeted her attack on Bloomberg, apparently comparing him to President Donald Trump, saying “It’s a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate. But at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we each take on an egomaniac billionaire.”

And then while campaigning, she focused her attention and what remains of her voice on Trump.

“I’m Elizabeth Warren. I am going to be the woman who is going to beat Donald Trump.”

Currents News full broadcast for Wed, 2/19/20

On the newscast: The Guardian Angels are on patrol. Now, they’re fighting fear and anger linked to the deadly coronavirus; A Freedom Rider whose life was rooted in faith has returned to the Lord. We remember him this Black History month; On the anniversary of one of World War Two’s most vicious battles – Iwo Jima – the last surviving Marine in our area is honored; A tribute to heroes at the Crossroads of the World.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.