Loren Licausi seen here at her high school prom. A life long Howard Beach resident, Loren first attended Our Lady of Grace in Howard Beach and then went on to graduate from Archbishop Molloy High School.
Valentine’s Day is coming a week early to Howard Beach this year and the reason is a real matter of the heart. Especially for the friends and family of Loren Licausi, who are asking her community to come together with them, and help cover exorbitant medical costs for the 19-year old Howard Beach teen, after she was recently diagnosed with AML and ALL leukemia.
Organizers of Love for Loren have planned their event for February 7th, 7 to 10 p.m., not only to raise money for the family but to make sure the Lacausi’s know they have plenty of love and support to count on.
Angela SanPhillipo, a family friend of more than twenty years and herself a cancer survivor, says after the devastation of the news set in, she made some phone calls and the ball was rolling. “The easiest part of everything,” SanPhillipo jokes, “was naming the night Love for Loren, because I do. I know her since she was a baby.”
Among the initial thoughts of fund raisers were some form of Dance-a-Thon or Zumba Party but when SanPhillipo got niece Michelle Napolitano-Schwartz, owner of Stanford Dance Studio and husband David involved, the studio offered to be one of the events sponsors and got internationally known DJ Skribbles to donate his spin skills for the night. And others jumped on board to help as well, including Loren’s best friend Lauren Lafemina, to organize what is now going to be a dance party.
“St. Helen’s gave us Father Dooley Hall and now we’re just hoping to fill the room,” SanPhillipo said.
It was back in October, just before the storm hit, that the Howard Beach teen was not feeling well. Tiredness, fatigue, and a swollen neck and glands prompted Loren’s mom Lynne to take her daughter for a check up.
She was examined and had blood work and testing for mono, Epstein Barr and numerous other conditions that present the same type of symptomology. Doctors initially thought that her condition could be related to something in her dorm or at
Mount St. Mary where she is a freshman, but the initial
results of the testing and blood work were lost in the storm and although her symptoms briefly improved, things started to reach a critical point by Christmas Eve.
Loren had been running low grade fevers and experiencing night sweats. The tiredness and fatigue were getting worse and after Christmas Day her mother called the office of Dr. Greenbaum at Queens Pediatrics where Loren is a patient, to get a trusted opinion. The doctor listened to an explanation of what had been going on and told Lynne to bring her daughter to the office.
A short time later Loren and her mom left Queens Pediatric and were on their way to Long Island Jewish Hospital to meet with a team of specialists waiting for her arrival.
The confirmation of the worst suspicions came as a result of testing done and the official diagnosis of AML and ALL was made the same night. Now Loren waits for the results of testing that will determine whether or not a bone marrow transplant is necessary.
She is currently undergoing her 2nd round of chemotherapy at North Shore University Hospital which is the home of a leukemia treatment wing first opened in 1992 to coordinate its effort in the treatment of acute leukemia and aggressive lymphomas.
A Note from the organizers of Love For Loren
Please help us make this night a blessing and a success.
We would like to thank those who were especially helpful
and generous for this event.
Ragtime Gourmet Deli, Sapienza, La Torre Bakery,
Lenny’s Clam Bar & Restaurant, Tuscany Deli,
Adrian and Rocky’s Catering and Bay Gull.
We would also like to thank all the merchants and individuals who helped us put
together all the great raffle prizes and gift baskets we will have at the event.
By Patricia Adams
