(Enlarge) Five-month old Hazel Twist Schroeder, being held by her mom, former Roland Park Country School basketball star Kelsey Twist Schroeder, is the reason the 10th Annual Sherry Shootout basketball tournament will raise funds for the Greater Baltimore Medical Center's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. (Photo by Steve Ruark)

The beneficiaries of the 10th Annual Sherry Shootout -- premature infants -- aren't much bigger than the women's 28-inch, 20-ounce basketball that will be used on the court when archrivals Roland Park Country School and Bryn Mawr meet at 1 p.m. Dec. 12 on the latter's home floor in the opening game of the event.

So called "micropreemies" may have similar measurements at birth, although Hazel Twist Schroeder checked in at 15 inches in length while weighing 2 pounds, 9 ounces at birth.

Her mother, Kelsey Twist Schroeder, participated in the inaugural Sherry Shootout, which honors the memory of longtime Towson Rec and local AAU coach Paul Sherry. Moreover, Kelsey Twist Schroeder's father, Joe Twist, owns a company (the Collaborative Group) that's a major contributor to the event.

Paul Sherry, Kelsey Twist Schroeder said, coached her Baltimore Blaze AAU team from the time she was a 12-year-old at Roland Park Country School.

"His teams always had players from so many different schools -- Towson (High), Roland Park Country School, St. Paul's (School for Girls), Bryn Mawr and Friends," said Twist Schroeder, 26. "And his teams learned from him how to work hard and be successful."

This year's edition of the Sherry Shootout will also feature the Mount de Sales-Pope John Paul the Great clash at 3 p.m. in the second game of the doubleheader.

Funds raised from the Sherry Shootout will help defray costs for portable devices for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit patients at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. The devices help premature infants, like Hazel, breathe through typically undeveloped lungs.

Sherry Shootout organizer and former Bryn Mawr coach Jim "Snuffy" Smith said that Paul Sherry's oldest daughter, Theresa, came up with the idea of aiding the Towson hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care unit after hearing about Hazel's situation. When Smith and Sherry's wife, Jan, met with GBMC officials, they wanted to ensure the money would be earmarked for the breathing devices.

"We asked them that the money be used specifically for that," Smith said. "We didn't want it going into the general fund."

It all started when Hazel decided she was about ready to enter the world one evening late last June as Twist Schroeder and her husband, Jamie Schroeder, were returning to their Oakenshawe home from dinner in Towson.

Luckily for them -- and for Hazel -- the couple was driving on Towsontowne Boulevard when Twist Schroeder's contractions began.

She was immediately admitted to the hospital.

What ensued was a saga that literally turned their world upside down, considering one of the first prescriptions offered by GBMC physician Harrold Elberfeld was to have the expectant mother rest in a bed with her feet elevated above her waist -- for six days.

When labor began in earnest, Hazel was delivered by Elberfeld via C-section surgery.

She stayed in the unit for 87 days, surviving heart surgery in her fifth week.

"It was a very stressful time," said Hazel's mother, an English teacher at her alma mater. "There were a lot of peaks and valleys, although she was always on an upward trend."

Schroeder Twist considers Dr. Elberfeld and the hospital staff heroes, knowing the unit treats an average of 500 babies per year.

"I can't say enough about GBMC," she said. "And Dr. Elberfeld is an absolute saint. He's an exceptional doctor who cares about his patients as human beings, spiritually, physically and mentally."

The physician, who joined GBMC in 2001, said he and his patients depend on many people for successful outcomes.

"It's a team effort," he said. "I just come in at the end. So much goes into it before I become involved."

Today, with 11 pounds on a 22-inch frame, Hazel is thriving and could be ready for her own Sherry Shootout debut in 2024.

To contribute to the GBMC NICU, contact Joe Twist at jtwist@collcon.com.

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