Date: Fri 13-Sep-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Mittleman-siezure-AIDS-ride

Full Text:

PAGE ONE: Incident On Main Street On A Weekend Of Human Caring

with photo....

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

When you've got 4,200 bicyclists traveling from Boston to New York City over a

four-day period, you're bound to have some interesting stories, but quite

possibly the most remarkable of them all may have occurred right here in

Newtown. And it involved a local couple that was riding in the event.

Craig and Kelly Mittleman of 40 Huntingtown Road were among the army of

bicyclists who were passing through Newtown Saturday morning on their way to

New York City as part of the 325-mile Boston/New York AIDS Ride 2 (See story

on page C-1).

The Mittlemans were excited about being a part of such a monumental

fundraiser, but as they rode through the streets of Newtown, the two became

almost intoxicated with emotion. What happened next will likely stay with them

for the rest of their lives.

As they turned the corner from Route 25 onto Route 302, the Mittlemans spotted

two of their neighbors who had come out to cheer them on across the street

from The Ram Pasture. Just moments after pulling to the side of the road to

say hello, a Newtown woman hastily steered her vehicle to the side of the road

in a panic.

"Somebody help me. I need help, now," she reportedly screamed.

Her 10-year-old daughter had apparently begun choking and was having a

seizure. She was foaming at the mouth and her eyes were deeply glazed over.

Without hesitation, Craig, an emergency room physician at Norwalk Hospital,

jumped off his bike and rushed to the aid of the young girl.

Using emergency room procedures, the local physician carried the young girl

from the car, checked her breathing and pulse, and communicated the situation

to her mother.

Downplaying his role and importance in the incident, Craig explained, "I think

I probably was a greater service to her mother because she was obviously

horrified by the events."

Also assisting at the scene was Newtown resident Tim Hoeffel and his sons Tim

and Matthew.

Within minutes, the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps arrived and quickly

transported the seriously ill girl to the hospital.

Somewhat dazed and in disbelief at what had just happened, the Mittlemans

jumped back on their bikes and continued, but their concern for the child

stayed with them.

Earlier this week, the young girl, a leukemia patient as a baby, came home and

is recovering. Tests to determine what happened that day are still pending.

"This may sound cosmic, but throughout the entire bike ride, I always felt

that there was some sort of a very positive and spiritual force driving us,"

Craig explained. "It was somewhat surreal."

Mrs Mittleman said the incident made the entire experience that much more

uplifting and inspiring.

"Here we are riding 325 miles for people with AIDS and this happens to us

while we're riding through our own town," she explained. "We felt like we were

helping even more."

The dramatic incident was the talk of the campsite Saturday night in Yorktown

Heights, New York. Everyone wanted to know what happened back in that town

called Newtown.

For the Mittlemans, the instinct to help others is naturally apparent.

Afterall, it was their sincere love and concern for those people inflicted

with the AIDS virus that brought them to the corner of routes 25 and 302 in

the first place. The AIDS epidemic hit home with Kelly in 1992 when her

brother, Michael Spratlin, 32, died of AIDS.

Making the trip even more memorable was the fact that Kelly rode despite being

a month pregnant. She found out just two days before the trip.

The motto of this year's Boston/New York ride was "Angels Are Among Us" and

Craig and Kelly said that affected them.

Among the thousands of onlookers cheering on the bicyclists as they entered

New York City Sunday was Craig's mother who held up a sign that read "Yea,

Craig and Kelly." Bikers reportedly approached her from all sides asking,

"Hey, isn't Craig the one who saved that girl's life and isn't Kelly the one

who's pregnant?"

Exhausted and somewhat achy, the Newtown residents returned to Newtown around

10 pm Sunday. But for Craig, who was suffering a swollen knee, the sleep would

not last. He was up at 3:30 am for a flight to a New Orleans medical

convention.