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Darielle D’Amico and her husband, Thomas, suffered through two failed pregnancies.
What the couple also experienced was a lack of sympathy for those “who cherish teachings of our Catholic faith, particularly the sanctity of life from the moment of conception,” she said.
“Couples who do not fit the mold of secular healthcare systems are made to feel odd, or irregular, especially for example when choosing to defer prenatal genetic testing, or wanting to bury their miscarried baby rather than dispose of them along with general medical waste,” Darielle said.
The D’Amicos, who live in Centerport, now have two healthy children, Angelina Rose, 3, and Thomas John Jr., 3 months.
Along the way they found comfort in the new Gianna Center of Long Island.
Run through Catholic Health Services, the local Gianna Center had been operating from spare space at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip this past year.
In the meantime, a free-standing location apart from the hospital was being prepared at 661 Deer Park Avenue in Babylon. Described as a fertility clinic and women’s health and wellness care facility, the Gianna Center of Long Island opened in Babylon last week.
The D’Amicos were on hand Tuesday to celebrate the accomplishment.
The care dispensed in Babylon is based on science and in accordance with Catholic teachings, explained Dr. Paul Carpentier, the Gianna Center of Long Island’s medical director.
“This is a wonderful resource for women of all ages. For couples with infertility and miscarriage, and for men with decreased fertility,” he explained to a crowd that included Bishop John Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
“Bishop Barres, you are currently surrounded by men and women who will apply their God-given talents and skills to this insightful undertaking,” Dr. Carpentier said.
Named after St. Gianna Beretta Molla, all Gianna Center locations utilize methods “to provide women with a natural, restorative, scientifically-based approach to improving health and respecting fertility,” according to the center’s website.
Catholic teachings are opposed to in vitro fertilization.
Dr. Carpentier described the Gianna Center’s approaches as holistic, while seeking to address some of the underlying causes that might be inhibiting a successful pregnancy.
Dr. Carpentier noted that he and his colleagues have recently submitted for publication in medical journals a study on the success rates of what’s called restorative reproductive medicine on the treatment of infertility. The study is based on 25 years of efforts, he said.
“The most striking data point … from our study in New England was the extent that we reduced the risk for preterm birth, from 31 percent at IVF centers in Massachusetts to 6 percent with our patients. This five-fold reduction in prematurity brought these high-risk patients under the average Massachusetts fertility rate.”
“Already here at the Gianna Center we have been helping so many women and couples across Long Island, even from Connecticut and Tennessee,” he added.
The day’s events ended with a special blessing inside the Gianna Center waiting room.
Top: Angelina Rose D’Amico, 3, her mom, Darielle, and brother Thomas John Jr., 3 months, join Bishop John Barres in blessing the new Gianna Center of Long Island Tuesday. (Credit: Michael White)
