Event History

Heartworks Westchester was originated in 2008 and is held each year in honor of Sydney Brooke Lerman, the young daughter of Barbara and Jonathan Lerman of Chappaqua, who was born with severe characteristics of Marfan syndrome.

Sydney is the true inspiration for Heartworks Westchester. She has faced overwhelming medical challenges since she was an infant, including major heart surgery at only five months of age. On August 5, 2005, while attending the National Marfan Foundation’s Annual Conference in St. Louis with her family, Sydney went into severe heart failure. She was immediately admitted into St. Louis Children’s Hospital and placed on a bypass machine. Her only hope for survival was a heart transplant. Miraculously, a heart was found for Sydney only seven days later. It was a harrowing few months, but Sydney and her family were finally able to return home to Westchester on October 21, 2005. Today, Sydney continues to have medical issues, including major back surgery in 2008.Despite these struggles, she is a spirited and determined first-grader who loves to have fun with her older sister, Carly.

Heartworks Westchester has since been held each year at the Metropolis Country Club in White Plains and has attracted more than 250 attendees. It has featured a silent auction, live auction and special drawings for prizes. Since its inception, the event has raised nearly half a million dollars to support programs focusing on the pediatric Marfan community within the NMF’s three-pronged mission of research, education and support.

Pictured above at the event: Jonathan and Barbara Lerman with their daughters Sydney and Carly