Health

Help your neighbor recover from surgery with a letter

Michael Petroski
Michael Petroski

When asked Wednesday what her son Michael would like most to help him recover from bladder and colon surgery, Kathy Petroski made a simple request. 

She said Michael, a 2014 graduate of Riverhead High School who suffers from spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, wants nothing more than to receive a few letters. 

“He loves to get mail,” Ms. Petroski said. “His face just lights up when he sees his name, Mikey, on something. It doesn’t matter if it’s a postcard or a greeting card or just a little note. I honestly think that [mail] will help a lot with his recovery.”

While he is cognitive, Michael’s disability makes him non-verbal and non-mobile, Ms. Petroski said.

Michael, who lives for his computer, is always on Facebook or checking his email, his mother said.

While recovering from his surgery, which is called a Mitrofanoff/Malone procedure, Michael won’t be able to sit up at his computer. Mail, his mother believes, will entertain him and brighten his day.

The family’s home address is 150 Arrowhead Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901. You can make letters out to Michael, or “Mikey,” Petroski.

If all goes well, Ms. Petroski said, Michael should be home from North Shore-LIJ Hospital this weekend.

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