CHOP doctor visits Waldron Mercy Academy

At Waldron Mercy Academy, we are very lucky to have parents how have found success in their field and who are dedicated to adding to their children's education experience. This week, Dr. Matthew O'Connor, father of Mary (pictured), David and Grace, and cardiologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, gave our prekindergarten class a presentation on heart health. They discussed eating a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and protein, based on the United States Department of Agriculture's choosemyplate, and avoiding foods that do not have as much traditional value. The students even got a hands on demonstration on how to check a patients heart. They took turns with Dr. O'Connor's stethoscope listening to the "thump thump" of Mary's heart beat, which the students learned, on average, will beat 3,000,000,000 in her lifetime! Dr. O'Connor finished the presentation with a video of a real open heart surgery.

To learn more about Waldron Mercy Academy, visit www.waldronmercy.org.