The State - News from Jan. 28, 1985

The 6-year-old son of a former Polish cab driver and Solidarity activist, was in critical but stable condition at Stanford University Medical Center after a life-saving heart operation paid for by more than 1,000 donations. Piotr Sternik, son of Michal Sternik, a former leader in the outlawed Polish workers’ union, suffered from a congenital heart defect that caused most of his blood to bypass his heart. He came to the United States when Polish doctors were unable to help him. The donations were collected after the Stanford hospital had asked for $25,000 in advance to pay for the surgery’s associated costs.