Medical Evacuations


Many evacuations require respiratory equipment and specialists in order to guarantee the safe transfer of the baby to another hospital.

16th of March, 2024
6 PM
Covenant Presbyterian Church
326 S. Segoe Rd. Madison
The Wisconsin-based charity Friends of Be an Angel invites you to a solidarity concert to benefit Ukrainian children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy at Covenant Presbyterian Church on the 16th of March, 2024. Refreshments will be served starting at 6 PM and there will be items available to sale at that time. The concert will start at 7 pm and will feature the award-winning and critically acclaimed flutists Anastasia Petanova and pianist Brandon Zhou, who will be performing pieces by Ukrainian, Romanian, Hungarian and French composers.
Entitled “Standing Together: A Solidarity Concert to Benefit Ukrainian Children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy”, the performers express their opposition to the attack on Ukraine and advocate for the protection of children.
The concert will begin with an opening statement by the director of Friends of Be an Angel, Anya Verkhovskaya, who will guide the audience through the evacuation process of children with SMA from the warzones of Ukraine. Following this introduction, the music will begin with a piece by Georges Enesco, Ukrainian composer Boris Lyatoshinsky, Béla Bártok and César Franck.
The proceeds from this event will go towards the evacuation of two families currently in Ukraine, both with children currently suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
Praised as “an extraordinary artist with a perfect technique and a gorgeous sound” by American composer John Corigliano, and having “pure tone and impeccable taste” by Toronto Star, flutist Anastasia Petanova has performed internationally since the age of 12. She has toured the countries of the former Soviet Union, Europe, North and South America, and performed in venues such as The Bolshoi Theater and Bolshoi Hall, Saint Petersburg Philharmonia, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Strathmore Music Center, The Phillips Collection, Tonhalle, UNESCO Center, Toronto Center for the Arts, among others. As a young artist, Ms. Petanova was a scholarship-recipient of the Vladimir Spivakov Foundation, the “New Names” International Program, Yuri Bashmet’s Foundation “The Stars of New Russia,” and the “Orpheus of the 21st Century.” She was also a top-prize winner in the “New Names National Competition” and at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Ms. Petanova has been a regular guest soloist with two globally acclaimed orchestras: the “Moscow Virtuosi,” and the legendary Russian National Orchestra, both directed by the conductor and violinist Vladimir Spivakov.
This collaboration brought numerous concert tours in Russia and abroad, culminating in an instrument gift from Maestro Spivakov and his Foundation, a flute by Brannen Brothers, Inc.
As a chamber musician, Ms. Petanova has been a guest artist at various chamber music festivals, and has served as a member of the Phillips Camerata, an ensemble-in-residence at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. She has shared the stage with numerous internationally acclaimed musicians, including Croatian guitarist Ana Vidovic, Grammy-winning soprano Hila Plitmann and cellist Antonio Lysy, Iranian virtuoso Sohrab Pournazeri, and members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony, Washington National Opera, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the San Diego Symphony. Ms. Petanova enjoys collaborating with prominent and emerging living composers, and has given a number of performances and premieres of new works. Recent projects include Thamar y Amnon by Ian Krouse (flute, viola and piano version), for an upcoming release on Naxos, as well as Breath and Gasp for solo flute and Bisogno di Guida for soprano, flute and electronics by Spanish composer Tomàs Peire Serrate, performed at the festival for new music “Du Vert à L’infini” in France in 2021. She has also worked with composers Virko Baley, Kevin Puts, Paul Moravec, Richard Danielpour, John Adams, and John Corigliano, among others.
Ms. Petanova has held teaching positions at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the SUNY
Fredonia School of Music, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has given university-level masterclasses and held successful clinics and educational initiatives for younger and older musicians alike (at the University of Puget Sound, University of Panama, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Youth Orchestra, Del Sol Academy for the Performing Arts, and other organizations). Ms. Petanova received her Bachelor’s of Music Degree and Artist Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and her Master’s and Doctorate Degrees from UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music. Her major teachers were Yuri Dolzhikov and Marina Piccinini; other teachers included Sheridon Stokes and Denis Bouriakov. Ms. Petanova can be heard on TNC Recordings (Somnium, an album of flute and piano works with pianist Jae Ahn-Benton) and on Yarlung Records (on Antonio Lysy’s chamber music album South America).
Ms. Petanova resides in Las Vegas with her husband, pianist Timothy Hoft, and their beloved miniature dachshund Vinny, where she serves on the faculty at Nevada School of the Arts. For more information and music, please visit www.anastasiapetanova.com
Pianist and composer Brandon Zhou is an LA-based recitalist and chamber musician with a broad range of musical interests spanning from traditional classical repertoire to works by living composers and his own arrangements. As a pianist, he has performed with acclaimed musicians such as Hila Plitmann and Tony Arnold and with organizations such as American Contemporary Ballet and Jacaranda Music. His playing can be heard in filmmaker Kerry Candaele’s recently released documentary, Love and Justice, a film exploring striking parallels between the tragic demise of composer Jorge Peña Hen during the 1973 Chilean coup d’état and the narrative of Beethoven’s opera Fidelio. As the winner of the 2020 Atwater Kent Concerto Competition, his performance of Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto with the UCLA Philharmonia in 2021 was met with an enthusiastic reception. Upcoming performances include a recital at Panorama Presbyterian Church in Panorama City, CA and a chamber music concert “Back to the Sources” curated by the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish experience.
Additionally, Brandon’s solo and chamber compositions have been performed as part of events across the U.S. His arrangement of Saint-Saëns’ ‘Egyptian’ Concerto for piano and string quintet, premiered by Inna Faliks and the Lyris Quartet at Jacaranda Music in May 2023, was received with great acclaim, and his often-performed duo Three Blues Miniatures was most recently played at the Thurnauer Chamber Music Series and Moab Music Festival. He has also had works performed at various universities in the country such as Yale University, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and UCLA.
Brandon earned his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where he studied with Inna Faliks. Additionally, he has been a longtime student of composer Richard Danielpour. He currently serves as a coach and collaborative pianist at Mount Saint Mary’s University, organist at Panorama Presbyterian Church, and collaborative pianist at UCLA.
1. Georges Enesco (1881 – 1955)
Cantabile et Preste
2. Boris Lyatoshinsky (1895 – 1968)
Romance
3. Béla Bártok (1881 – 1945)
Suite Paysanne Hongroise
Chants populaires tristes Scherzo
Vieilles danses
Short intermission (ca. 5 minutes)
4. César Franck (1822 – 1890)
Sonata for flute and piano in A major
I. Allegretto ben moderato
II. Allegro
III. Recitativo-Fantasia: Ben moderato
IV. Allegretto poco mosso
A year and a half after the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian hospitals are suffering from significant shortage of doctors, medicine and medical supplies. Many doctors are sent in rotations to frontline hospitals to assist with the high casualty rate, leaving a shortage of staff in every hospital. In addition, the consumption of medicine and medical supplies has increased immensely, leaving a scarcity in all regions of Ukraine. Many treatment options are unavailable or no longer available in Ukraine. In particular, children with severe medical conditions are heavily impacted by these effects. One of the treatments that is unavailable in Ukraine is the medication required to treat Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
SMA is a rare genetic disorder that primarily affects infants and young children. It is characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brainstem, leading to muscle weakness and atrophy. SMA is caused by mutations in the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene, which plays a crucial role in the production of a protein called SMN, essential for motor neuron function. Infants with SMA can present with varying degrees of muscle weakness, respiratory difficulties, and impaired motor development. The severity of SMA is often classified into different types based on the age of onset and the clinical features observed:
This is the most severe form of SMA and usually manifests within the first few months of life. Infants with Type 1 SMA have profound muscle weakness, poor muscle tone, and difficulty swallowing and breathing. They often require intensive medical support and may have a significantly shortened life expectancy.
This form typically presents between 6 and 18 months of age. Children with Type 2 SMA experience progressive muscle weakness and motor developmental delays, but they generally have a longer life expectancy than those with Type 1 SMA. Some individuals with Type 2 SMA can learn to sit and even stand with assistance.
There have been significant advancements in the treatment of SMA, particularly with the introduction of disease-modifying therapies. One of the most notable treatments is a drug called nusinersen (Spinraza), which is an antisense oligonucleotide designed to increase the production of functional SMN protein. Nusinersen is administered through spinal injections and has shown promising results in improving motor function and prolonging survival in infants and children with SMA.
In addition to nusinersen, gene therapy has emerged as a revolutionary approach for treating SMA. Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec) is a one-time gene therapy that delivers a functional copy of the SMN1 gene into motor neurons. This treatment has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in improving motor skills and extending survival in infants with SMA.
Despite these treatment advances, it’s important to note that SMA can still pose significant challenges, and outcomes can vary based on factors such as the severity of the condition and the age at which treatment is initiated. Mortality rates for SMA have improved significantly with the introduction of these therapies, especially for types that were historically associated with very low survival rates. Both of these treatment options are not available in Ukraine. Therefore, the mortality rate for infants suffering from SMA is over 80%.
Medical Evacuations
Many evacuations require respiratory equipment and specialists in order to guarantee the safe transfer of the baby to another hospital.
Our organization provides medical evacuation, resettlement, and facilitates treatment options for the child and their immediate family. We support the family by finding them treatment locations, organizing staff, equipment and medical transport for the evacuation out of Ukraine, assist them with visa applications, document translation, find them a sponsor and provide them a place to live. Each family is personally taken care of and assisted for several months, making this a very time and labor intensive program. However, the results of the treatment are almost miraculous, with babies who have never been previously able to stand on their feet begin walking within a few months!
Friends of Be an Angel, Women’s Movement for the Future and the Be an Angel network, have evacuated 35 babies to the United States and various countries in the European Union, where they are receiving life-saving treatment.