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Clifton Merchant Magazine • Volume 14 • Issue 7 • July 3, 2009
Sgt. Billy GibsonOne Man’s Bounce Back Story
Against Multiple Myeloma
Jennifer HenkelThe Director of Wee Care Child Care Center
Lives with Laryngeal Papillomatosis
Bob SmithLap Band Surgery, Diet and Exercise
Help Melt Away 200 Pounds
Brooke Van BeverenIt’s All About Attitude When You’re
Dealing with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Mother Nature’s RemediesFrom Acupuncture to Salt Treatments and
Other Naturopathic Options
Medicine& Miracles
Support Clifton’s 2011 Police Unity Tour Team
629 Clifton Ave • Clifton
973-777-7364459 Chestnut St • U
nion
908-686-5868
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Clifton Merchant Magazine is published the first Friday of every month at 1288 Main Ave., Downtown Clifton • 973-253-4400
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 4
Clifton Office • 789 Clifton Avenue • (973) 778-4500©2011 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC.REALTOR®
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March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 5
1 S
16,000 Magazines
are distributed tohundreds of Clifton
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Editor & PublisherTom Hawrylko
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Contributing WritersIrene Jarosewich, CarolLeonard, Rich DeLotto,Don Lotz, Jack DeVries© 2011 Tomahawk Promotions
1288 Main AvenueDowntown Clifton, NJ 07011
For eighteen years Fred Rogers was my closestpersonal friend. We called each other on the
phone at least once a week to catch up on the
family news. I spent summer weekends together with
Fred and his wife in Nantucket. When e-mail
technology entered into our lives we wrote notes back
and forth at least once a day, sometimes silly jokes,
often times a quote we found in a book. I’d send him
the newest poem that I had written, or my newest essay.
Fred would send along a television script for his
children’s program, or a speech he was writing for an
invitation to a college. He’d ask how it sounded, and if
I could make some improvements.
I met Fred at the HBO studios in New York City in
1982. He flew in for some television interviews, and I
was working on a children’s television program that
never got off the ground, but I did meet Mr. Rogers in
my research, and Captain Kangaroo, and Mr. Green
Jeans, and Bill Baird the puppeteer, and producers from
Sesame Street, and Julie Taymor.
I’ve been fortunate to write speeches for Eunice
Kennedy Shriver, been given a personal introduction to
Pope John Paul II in the Vatican. I walked along the
Roman roads in Belgium, saw windmills in Holland,
drank beer in Germany, and saluted Big Ben in London.
I dipped my hands in the Pacific Ocean in California,
rode the Maid of the Mist into the basin of Niagara Falls.
I guess I’ve seen about as much of the world as I am
likely to see, and I see that there is blood on our hands.
The world is becoming too much with us in its sorrows.
The poet William Butler Yeats was right after all:
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, the blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned….
The Best of NEIGHBORS By Christopher de Vinck
When an innocent nine year old
girl is killed because she wants to
take delight in the presence of a
United State Congresswoman, when
the President of the United States has
to remind us of our own civility and
purity of heart, I have to ask myself,
what has happened to us as a people?
I sat in a small chapel in Toronto,
Canada with Fred as we prayed
together for continued goodness in
the world.
I sat with Fred on a log at
Martha’s Vineyard as we looked out
over the ocean. “Right here, Chris,”
and Fred pointed with his finger,
“Right here is where my father often
told me how much he loved me.”
In 2002 Fred gave the
commencement address at
Dartmouth College. It was there
that he reminded us that “Our world
hangs like a magnificent jewel in
the vastness of space. Every one of
us is a part of that jewel. A facet of
that jewel. And in the perspective of
infinity, our differences are
infinitesimal. We are intimately
related. May we never even pretend
that we are not?”
Time and time again Fred would
refer to the power of love when he
heard of a sorrow in the world. A
very famous woman was enduring
a sorrow with her husband, and
Fred spontaneously sent her warm,
loving note of encouragement and
said “You know, Chris, even
famous people need to be loved.”
When Fred accepted the Lifetime
Achievement Award at the 1997
Emma Award Ceremony he asked all
of Hollywood to offer up ten seconds
of silence. “All of us have had a
special one who loved us into being.”
He asked that in those ten seconds
they all give thanks for that love.
When I turned 50, Fred gave me
a set of gold cufflinks. “Chris, my
father gave me those and said that he
loved me, and I want to give these to
you now, passing down that love.
You know, it goes on and on.”
In his closing remarks at
Dartmouth, Fred said these words:
When I say it's you I like, I'm
talking about that part of you that
knows that life is far more than
anything you can ever see or hear
or touch. That deep part of you that
allows you to stand for those things
without which humankind cannot
survive. Love that conquers hate,
peace that rises triumphant over
war and justice that proves more
powerful than greed.
Let us not give Yeats his due as he
wrote “The best lack all conviction.”
Fred believed in the remarkable
quality of goodness that resides in
everyone’s heart, no matter how
awful they may seem on the surface.
We need to be loved into being.
I do not deny the power of evil in
the world. Evil is the absence of
love. No one would shoot a nine
year old girl if he were loved. If we
are not loved, evil pours in.
Now more than ever we need to
listen to the prophets, Fred Rogers
being one of our modern prophets.
“Love that conquers hate,” Fred
said. “Peace that rises triumphant
over war,” and yes “justice that
proves more powerful than greed.”
One day I pointed out to Fred
that the word “friend” included his
name “FRiEnD.” He liked that.
On January 31, 2003 at 3:37 PM
I received my last e-mail from my
friend. (I still haven’t deleted it
from my computer.) He said, in
part, “Thank you AGAIN AND
AGAIN for all your prayers. That's
the kind of sustenance I need every
minute of every day and night.
Love to you and Roe and the
children, as always, and thank you
again and again and again and
again........your FRiEnD.” He died
27 days later of stomach cancer.
Fred told me, he told the students
at Dartmouth, he told everyone “in all
that you do, in all of your life, I wish
you the strength and the grace to
make those choices which will allow
you and your neighbor to become the
best of whoever you are.”
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 6
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 7
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 8
Feeling like your big toeis about to explode?Gout can be an extremelyuncomfortable pain inthe toe. It most oftenattacks the joint of the“Great Toe” althoughother joints could possi-bly be affected.
Thomas Graziano, MD, DPM,FACFAS, who surgically correct-ed the gout condition picturedabove, said attacks are caused bydeposits of crystallized uric acidin the joint.
“Gout occurs most commonlyin the big toe because uric acid issensitive to temperature changes,”said Dr. Graziano, a Clifton footand ankle surgeon. At coolertemperatures, uric acid turns tocrystals.
Uric acid is the result of thebreakdown of purines, chemicalsthat are found naturally in ourbodies and in food.
Uric acid is present in theblood and eliminated in theurine, but in people who havegout, uric acid accumulates andcrystallizes in the joints.
Since the toe is the part of thebody that is farthest from theheart, it’s also the coolest part ofthe body – and, thus, the mostlikely target of gout, explainedDr. Graziano, adding that goutcan affect any joint in the body.
The inflammatory processusually will resolve in three to tendays with treatment. If goutsymptoms or attacks continue,the next approach may involvedaily medication or even surgerysaid Dr. Graziano. “The build-upof uric acid over time can causearthritic damage to the joint.”
Call 973-473-3344 for details.
Before After
Gout Often Affects the Great Toe
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 9
M E D I C I N E
M I R A C L E S&
Spirit in the SkyLife equals 5 daughters, 2 daily glasses of milk
and 63 years of marriage
Norm Dikdan takes his health seriously. The 85 year old still
drinks two glasses of milk a day, has taken cod liver oil, fish
oil and vitamin E for 50 years and attends church regularly.
Weekly worship services are probably good news to his wife Laura and
their five daughters; it’s like a little extra insurance for his family.
That’s because a few years back, Dikdan decided to take up skydiving,
a thrill he expects to do again this spring.
By Tom Hawrylko
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 10
Talk to Norm Dikdan over the
phone and he sounds like a kid.
“I feel like one,” he responded to
such an observation by a caller. “I’m
an up person. I’ve got a good sense
of humor, strong spiritual faith...”
And he comes from good Syrian
stock—his dad died at the age of 94
and his mom at 96. Midway
through his eighth decade, Dikdan
said that with the grace of God and
some luck, he expects to remain
mentally and physically active—
and to outlive both his parents.
Meet Norm Dikdan and you’re in
for a lively conversation: “People my
age are dropping. Others have had a
lot of surgeries. I’ve been lucky,” he
observed with a chuckle. “All I had
was my appendix removed.”
The laugh had nothing to do
with his appendicectomy and all to
do with “the only stupid thing I
did.” Last February, Dikdan was
driving on Overmount Ave. in
Woodland Park and got stuck on an
ice patch. Getting in and out of the
vehicle, he somehow found himself
kneeling beside the car with a
hand—not a foot!—on the gas
pedal and the other hand—not a
foot—on the steering wheel.
“Suddenly the car took traction,
the door knocked me down and the
car ran over me,” Dikdan recalled
of his predicament. “Good thing it
was deep snow... no broken
bones...” He paused and reflected:
“I worked on my dad’s milk truck
and always drank a quart of milk,
everyday. I still do. At least two
glasses a day. It’s given me real
strong bones. That proves it.”
Close call indeed but that was
not his first brush with his own
mortality and the hereafter.
Dikdan is a WWII US Navy vet-
eran, drafted from his hometown of
Paterson when he was 18. After
boot camp, he was trained to be a
bosun mate aboard a landing craft
which ferried troops to the leg-
endary Normandy invasion.
During the back and forth and all
the action near those French beach-
es in June of 1944, he was hit with
shrapnel, receiving a head wound
which affected his hearing. He has
worn hearing aides since that time.
“I never let that stop me,” he said.
Norm and Laura Dikdan in a recent photo and the young couple some 63 years ago.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 11
710 Van Houten Avenue • Clifton • 973-777-1559 Visit Us Online: www.mariosrestaurantpizza.com
“God has granted me many
years,” Dikdan added, paraphrasing
a traditional chant for good health
sung in his culture and at his parish,
Saint Ann’s Byzantine-Melkite
Catholic Church in Woodland Park.
After the war, he and Laura
(“she’s my real blessing,” he says
of his bride) married and Dikdan
found his first job as a draftsman
with Bright Star Industries on Getty
Ave. in Clifton.
After three years, he and his
family built an auto repair station
on Gould Ave. in Paterson where
Dikdan worked for 15 years before
purchasing a used car lot from fel-
low Cliftonite Gabe Marroon on
Main Ave. in South Paterson. After
he sold that, he worked another 12
years selling cars at Caldwell
Toyota before he retired at age 74.
During those decades, Norm and
Laura bought a home on Standish
Dr. where they raised five daugh-
ters. After the kids married, eventu-
ally having kids of their own and
giving the couple 14 grandchildren
and one great grandchild, the house
got too big for them, so they moved
into a condo in Woodland Park.
Over the years, Dikdan has
stayed active, physically, mentally
and spiritually. Having been in
sales most of his life, he has a gift
of gab. He enjoys sharing stories
and telling jokes, saying that it
keeps him in a positive mood. And
it’s not just banter that fills the air
around Norm Dikdan as he is exer-
cising his mind.
A few years back, he invented
and patented a pull tab for old wax
milk cartons, which were always
troublesome to open. Unfortunately,
by time his patent was published the
milk industry changed the shape of
the cartons and his design became
obsolete. But the learning moment
is there for Dikdan: “The point is
you have to keep your mind work-
ing, never stop thinking. Exercise
your brain,” he advised.
Ask Dikdan some of his sugges-
tions for a long and productive life,
and he’ll sum it up in an old slogan
from the YMCA: a healthy spirit,
mind and body.
Both he and his wife are active
in their church, attend services
weekly and their culture and reli-
gion are at the base of their mar-
riage of six decades.
Dikdan can also fluently speak
Arabic, a “gift” his father gave him
when he was a boy. “My dad used
to talk to me in Arabic and I would
respond in English,” he recalled.
“He just continued in Arabic. He
made it easy to learn the language.”
Norm Dikdan offers a perspec-
tive on what it means to age well
and to continue to live life in a pos-
itive and productive manner. MayGod Grant You Many Years!
A ccording to the doctorswho treated him, it was a
combination of chemother-
apy, radiation and a stem cell trans-
plant that saved his life. But Billy
Gibson will tell you it was a portrait
of his wife and two kids that hung on
the wall in his hospital room to force
his cancer into remission.
The Clifton Police Sergeant bat-
tle multiple myeloma for more than
three years, suffering many months
in almost complete isolation in a
lonely, sterile hospital room due to
his compromised immune system.
Gaunt, physically weak and near
mental exhaustion, he contemplat-
ed giving up, chatted with God and
spent hours in self-reflection, won-
dering it was his fate.
“I just remember saying, it’s not
my time to die,” he continued.
“I’ve got a beautiful wife, young
kids... I need to be there for my
family.”
Now cancer free for more than a
decade, Gibson is still amazed by
his good fate. If it were not for his
friendship with Dr. Jeffrey Gold L
MD, the aggressive and potentially
fatal disease may not have been
detected until it was far too late.
The tale begins in November
1997, when Gibson took his moth-
er, Agnus, for her regular check up
at Gold’s office. Afterwards, the
doctor, a family friend for several
decades, convinced Gibson to stay
a few more minutes and get a phys-
ical, which he had been neglecting
for many years.
Then 45 years old, Gibson was
in great shape, but had been consid-
ering getting an exam for precau-
tionary reasons due to his age.
Three days after the physical, the
Clifton cop received a call from his
friend requesting a face-to-face sit
down. Perplexed, Gibson went in
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 12
M
May not be c
M E D I C I N E
M I R A C L E S&
I Will SurviveOne Man’s Bounce Back Story
By Joe Hawrylko
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 13
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and immediately realized that the
battery of tests had revealed some-
thing not good.
“He’s got this real serious look
on his face and I know it isn’t going
to be good, so I told him to give it
to me point blank,” he recalled. Dr.
Gold explained that Gibson’s pro-
tein levels were high—a calling
card of cancer. After giving anoth-
er urine sample. he went to home to
anxiously await the results.
“I had absolutely no symptoms, I
felt as strong as a horse,” he said.
“But I trusted him, I knew Dr. Gold
would not allow anything to hap-
pen to me.” When the second test
confirmed elevated levels, Dr. Gold
sent his friend to Dr. Kyudong
Uhm, an oncologist, for a painful
bone marrow biopsy.
“They take it from the back part
of your pelvis,” Gibson recalled
“The best way I can describe it is
this: You take a 2x4 and with a big
wood screw, you screw it into a
hole... and then you rip it out.”
Above, Billy Gibson in an undated photo after beginning his treatments withretired Clifton Police Lt. Pat Ciser At left, Gibson holds up the photo of his fam-ily with Tyler, his wife Robin and Billy which got him through tough times.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 14
“I’ve done karate for a long time with (CPD officer)
Pat Ciser, maybe 18 years,” he continued. “A lot of that
is discipline and focus. When they were doing this, I
just stared at this dot and the wall while they did what
they had to do.”
This test confirmed what doctors had feared all
along: Cancer. The culprit was multiple myeloma,
which affects plasma cells, wreaking havoc on the
immune system and in bone marrow.
“I had never even heard of it before, I didn’t have
any clue what it was,” said Gibson. “It’s a huge shock.
Ok doc, I have cancer. Now what? There’s a lot going
through my mind. I had a kid who wasn’t even born
yet.”
“It’s not really fear,” he continued. “it’s more numb-
ing. You’re trying to digest everything, mentally get
yourself in order. What do we do from here? Is it ter-
minal? How do we address this with the kids? Where
do we go from here? What the hell just happened?”
Fortunately, the disease was in the very early stages.
Gibson was refered to MM specialist Dr. Arnold Rubin,
who administered his own battery of tests and determined
that there was enough time to delay treatments to see if
any new medical breakthroughs were on the horizon.
Life continued as normal for Gibson, who was free of
any symptoms besides night sweats. It wasn’t until two
years later in 1999, when another potentially deadly ill-
ness nearly took his life, that doctors decided to act.
“I was on the job, chasing a stolen car,” he recalled.
“I got out of the car and the hit me with his car.”
Bruised and sore, Gibson figured it was just a minor
lump and went home to ice up and rest after his shift.
However, when he awoke with a fever of nearly 106
degrees, his wife, Robin, called an ambulance—a move
that probably saved Gibson’s life.
Doctors determined that he had acquired a staph
infection, which can easily be fatal if not treated imme-
diately. Surgeons scooped out huge chunks of necrotic
flesh from his leg and inserted drains. Dr. Rubin was
also on hand monitoring the situation, and when tests
revealed that the disease had kick started the MM, he
advised Gibson that his cancer treatment would begin
immediately.
To combat the aggressive disease, doctors planned to
bombard his body with a cocktail of drugs and radiation
over the course of several months to weaken the cancer
and Gibson’s immune system, which is necessary for
the last and most important step: the vital stem cell
transplant.
Gibson’s chemo regiment was intense. Spread out
over four months, he would spend five consecutive
days in the hospital every four weeks, where a round-
the-clock dose was administered.
The Cliftonite explained that due to his physique, he
was confident that he was able to handle the physical
challenges. What he was concerned about was the
mental challenges—dealing with hair and weight loss,
depression, or just simply getting up in the morning
when you know you’re going into the hospital to get
pumped full of poison for five days straight.
“The first couple of days you’re ok but then you start
to get out of sync,” Gibson continued. “My brain was
telling me, come on buddy, you’ve got things you got
to do. But my body felt like it had been up for three
days straight.”
In an effort to be as normalized as possible, Gibson
continued working out in a modified routine, dropping
to the floor for sit up and push ups to pass the time. But
by his third chemo session, the common side effects of
the treatment began to manifest.
Gibson’s hair began to thin out across his head. His
beard and eyebrows began to develop patchy bald
spots, and weight rapidly began to shed from his body.
“It was uncomfortable,” he said. “I had really light
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 15
blond hair that I kept neat. I also
lost a lot of weight, from 194 to 158
pounds.”
“I lost my appetite. I just never
felt like eating,” added. “I remem-
ber telling my wife, ‘Rob, I ate a
teaspoon of Jello today’ like I
couldn’t believe it.”
More alarming was that he
began to gradually lose senses in
his tastebuds. “Chicken or card-
board, I couldn’t tell the differ-
ence,” he lamented.
It’s at this stage that the emo-
tional challenges become apparent.
An individual’s mental make up is
just as important as physical health
in defeating cancer.
“The way I did it all the way
through the process was that I just
kept on believing that I was going
to beat it,” said Gibson. “I was
going to fight through all the way
to the end and we were going to get
the best doctors possible.”
Once the chemo was completed,
Gibson had to endure radiation
therapy, which was designed to
bring his immune system to a halt.
Though such action meant that
even a cold could be deadly, it was
a necessary precursor to a stem cell
transplant.
Gibson had to spend many
weeks in virtually isolation from
the outside world, confined to a
lonely, sterile hospital room. In
that situation, even the most opti-
mistic of individuals would find
their will to live on the wane.
“I’m not super religious or any-
thing, but I do believe in god,” he
explained. “But at several points,
you just sit there and think, am I
really going to die in this room, iso-
lated all by myself? You get
Gibson’s family in a recent photo from left: son Scott, daughter Lori (Smeriglio),and Bill and Robin’s boys Billy jr. and Tyler.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 16
a little time to talk to the man
upstairs.”
It’s far easier to give up than
endure hours of pain, discomfort
and solitude, but Gibson kept on
fighting for one thing: his family.
The fear of not seeing his Robin
or his four children ever again was
far too much to bear. Those indi-
viduals are Gibson’s passion, his
motivation to wake up every morn-
ing, to weather any challenges that
life throws his way.
The self professed family man
explained that he loves nothing
more than spending time with his
family, whether it’s over dinner,
going fishing or watching his chil-
dren compete in sports.
This is a man who traveled
halfway across the globe while
undergoing chemotherapy to watch
his son, Scott, represent the US in
Sweeden for a youth soccer tourna-
ment in 2000.
When permitted, the family
spent many long hours together in
the hospital by his side. And when
he was in isolation, it was the por-
trait of his wife and his children
that gave him the will power to bat-
tle on and hope that the stem cell
transplant would save him.
“That picture was huge—
HUGE,” said Gibson, who now
hangs the photo on the wall of his
Richfield Home. “My wife is an
angel. She stayed with me the
whole time through everything.
She’s unbelieveable. And my older
kids, they were always in there vis-
iting.”
Things began looking up in
March of 2000, when Dr. Rubin
determined that Gibson was pre-
pared for the stem cell transplant.
A tube to draw blood is placed in
one arm and fed to a machine,
which blasts the cells with radiation
and reinserts them into the other
arm in a four hour process.
“You can’t move, you’re on a
bed and they’re draining your
blood, which goes through a
machine that separates the stem
cells,” he recalled. “After maybe
three and a half hours, my left vein
collapsed, It was painful, I knew
something happened right away. It
was like plugging a vacuum hose.”
But despite the scare, the process
worked and Gibson was put back in
isolation to see if his body would
accept the new cells.
That, however, took longer than
expected. Gibson was still recover-
ing in isolation by the time May
rolled around and he was getting
anxious.
“My anniversary was May 5,
1996, so I’m sure I was bugging Dr.
Rubin,” he laughed. “I told him, I
want out, I don’t care if I have to
crawl out. He said ok, but he told,
‘You’ll be back in a week.’”
Gibson’s taste of freedom was
brief, and he landed back in St.
Joe’s for a few more weeks before
coming out for good at the end of
May.
But the road to normalcy was
still long and arduous. He was still
sickly and gaunt, and his trademark
energy was all but gone.
“It would take me five minutes
to walk from my living room,
downstairs and out to the backyard
just to get some fresh air,” he said.
“That’s not more than 25, 30 feet.”
You shuffle, catch your breath and
hold the wall. But I’m just stub-
born, I didn’t need the help.”
Clifton Optimist Awards
Sgt. Billy Gibson will receive the JudgeJoseph J. Salerno Respect for Law Awardfrom the Clifton Optimist Club. He is one offour recipients to be feted at the 2011Awards Dinner which is on May 22 at theClifton Recreation Center, 1232 Main Ave.Other recipients include former NFLer
and 1986 CHS grad, gridiron legend DaveSzott. He will receive the Club’s highesthonor, the 2011 Friend of Youth Award.
Longtime Jr. Mustang Wrestling CoachJack Whiting will receive the CommunityService Award and former CouncilwomanGloria Kolodziej will be honored for herLifetime Achievement.Tickets are $35 and include dinner and
beverages. Checks should be made payableto the Clifton Optimist Club. For more infor-mation, call Optimist member TomHawrylko at 973-253-4400.
Jack Whiting will be honored for Community Service, Gloria Kolodziej forLifetime Achivement and Dave Szott will receive the Friend of Youth Award.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 17
503 Paulison Ave., 973-471-08687 am to Midnight • 7 Days A Week Cuellar Family Markets
Michelle Diaz is a Registered Dietitianat the Paulison Ave.ShopRite. She will
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March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 18
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Eventually, his hair and his health began to return.
More exciting was the regaining the ability to taste food
again. To this day, Gibson still remembers the first time
he tasted a real meal again.
“I used to work security at Corrados for years. Jerry
Sr., Joey Sr., and Pete Sr. came to visit me and asked,
Bill, what would you like to eat,” he recalled. “I said
I’d really like to have a steak. And they had a filet
mignon brought over from the store. I must have ate
just a tiny bit of it—I still didn’t have my appetite just
yet—but it was the best steak I’ve ever had.”
Life officially went back to normal when he returned
to work in Sept. 2000. Gibson had been out since injur-
ing his hip in November of the prior year.
“It just felt good going to work,” he recalled. “They
had me as watch commander at first, overseeing the
dispatchers. I called a Sgt. off patrol and then said I
was going to lunch. I took his car just to get out, went
on a ride and just drove around Botany—I love it
there.”
Now, more than a decade later, it’s almost impossi-
ble to pick up what Gibson’s been through just by look-
ing at him. The reminders are subtle scars from where
picks were used to insert chemo, hardly noticeable to
the eye.
But in an odd way, Gibson has come away from the
experience with a positive feeling. Having overcome
such a huge, life-threatening challenge tends to leave
one appreciating life a little more than before.
“You realize that some things in life that you think
are important really aren’t,” explained Gibson. “Like
your health. My family is the most important thing to
me, number one.”
“I really don’t sweat the little things. I’ve been
through enough in life with my family that I think we
can handle just about anything,” he continued. “And
no doubt about it, it brought us closer. I was very, very
lucky that I pulled through cancer, and I’m so lucky to
have met my wife and have the children that I have and
I respect that.”
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 19
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March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 20
M E D I C I N E
M I R A C L E S&
W hen you call the WeeCare Child CareCenter in Clifton,
you’ll most likely have the pleasure
of speaking with Jennifer Henkel.
She has a very distinctive, laryngi-
tis sounding, squeaky, whisper
voice, but she doesn’t have laryngi-
tis. She has Laryngeal papillomas,
which are benign epithelial tumors
that are caused by infection with
the human papilloma virus (HPV).
Although it most likely will be dif-
ficult to understand her through a
telephone, her enthusiasm, love of
children, and the Wee Care mes-
sage will ring through the tele-
phone loud and clear.
Henkel has been the director for
6 months of the First Presbyterian
Church’s Wee Care Child Care
Center, which has a staff of twenty
employees. She has been working
there as an instructor for eight
years prior to her becoming direc-
tor. Wee Care Child Care Center
currently has 65 children attending
and their ages range from new-
borns to twelve-year-olds since
they have an after school program
that the schooled children get
transported to after their school
day ends. The kids at the center are
very accepting of Henkel’s condi-
tion since most of them have been
there prior to her losing her voice
and her diagnosis. When Jennifer
was a teacher at the center, the kids
knew that she had a speech imper-
fection and because of this she
never had to raise her voice or yell
Jennifer Henkel, center, with some of her students at Wee Care Child Care Center on Maplewood Ave.
One Woman’s Journey withLaryngeal Papillomas
By Chrissie Cluney
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 21
- which she cannot do. The newer
participants are curious as most
kids are and ask, “When are you
getting it (her voice) back?” with
smiles on their adorable faces.
Having Henkel as the director
shows the children that you can do
anything you put your mind to
despite your current situation.
When interacting with new par-
ents they usually think she’s under
the weather and they question send-
ing their child to the center, but
Henkel explains the situation and
answers any questions they might
have allowing the parents to be at
ease and confident in the center’s
ability to instill the knowledge,
education, and compassion that is
needed for their children to grow
up to be outstanding citizens of the
future.
Communication is difficult
when talking on the telephone as
her voice doesn’t get through to the
person on the other end. She jokes
that when telemarketers call they
feel bad that she “has a cold” so
they state that they’ll call back at
another time. When the Wee Care
Child Care Center is closed due to
inclement weather she is required
to announce it through a voice mes-
sage and she is always afraid that
the parents won’t hear the
announcement and think that the
Center is open when it is not.
Prior to her contracting
Laryngeal papillomas, Henkel
enjoyed singing to herself while
driving in the car, but this has
stopped due to her losing her
singing voice. When her children,
Brian, age seven, and Bridget, age
four, were infants she used to sing
to them and regrets that she can no
longer have that closeness with
them. Last year, her son, Brian, was
enrolled in Catholic school and his
teacher told Henkel that he prayed
everyday that his mother would get
her voice back which saddened
Jennifer.
Henkel enjoys reading her chil-
dren bedtime stories which are
filled with pirates and fantasy for
her son and books that allow her
daughter’s mind to go to far off
places. The characters used to have
specific voices, provided by
Jennifer, to enhance the story, but
she doesn’t have the vocal range
and vocal power to perform those
voices now.
Before 2004, Henkel and her
daughter, Bridget, liked to
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have conversations in the family
car, but presently due to her condi-
tion and the sounds of the car and
outside environment those conver-
sations are different now as
it more difficult due to
Henkel’s very low voice her
daughter to understand her
mother, which disappoints
both of them.
In 2004, life changed
drastically and dramatically
when Jennifer began to
experience post nasal drip
and laryngitis like symp-
toms and just thought that
she was getting a cold. She
visited her doctor’s office
and was told that it would go away
like any normal cold would. When
these symptoms didn’t disappear,
she began the journey of finding
out what the accurate diagnosis
would be. She had gone to count-
less number of ear, nose, and throat
specialists that were on a list of
doctors covered by her first insur-
ance company, Oxford United
Healthcare. It was recommended
to her to call each doctor asking if
they specialized or even knew of
her condition which, in itself, was
a difficult task to accomplish with
a speech problem. The physicians
didn’t know what to diagnose her
condition as. Because of this she
had been wrongfully diagnosed
with having strep throat, acid
reflux, post nasal drip, and severe
allergies. She even went to a plas-
tic surgeon in Oxford’s healthcare
plan because she thought it might
be a nasal problem.
Henkel first heard the
diagnosis of “Laryngeal
papillomas” when she met
with the leading vocal
chord disorders specialist
on the East coast, Dr. Peak
Woo, who was working at
Mount Sinai Hospital, in
New York City, at the time.
He ordered a biopsy to be
taken from Jennifer in
2008. However, within the
first five minutes of meeting
with her and listening to her speak,
she was diagnosed with Laryngeal
papillomas. The surgery was sched-
uled for two months after their ini-
tial meeting.
“…They are the most common
benign neoplasms affecting the lar-
ynx and upper respiratory tract.
Laryngeal papillomatosis, also known as recurrent
respiratory papillomatosis or glottal papillomatosis, is a
rare medical condition caused by a HPV infection of the throat.
Laryngeal papillomatosis causes assorted tumors or papillo-
mas to develop over a period of time. Without treatment it is
potentially fatal as uncontrolled growths could obstruct the
airway. Laryngeal papillomatosis tumors form on the larynx or
other areas of the respiratory tract. These tumors can reoccur
frequently, may require repetitive surgery, and may interfere
with breathing. The disease can be treated with surgery and
antivirals.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 23
Malignant degeneration to squamous cell carcinoma
can occur, but is very rare. The overall prevalence
ranges from 2 per 100,000 adults to 4.5 per 100,000
children…” according to the Center for Voice and
Swallowing at UC Davis Health System. This condi-
tion restricts the vocal chords from moving normally.
The virus can come back despite any surgical proce-
dure and is caused by stress. The more stressed a per-
son is, the weaker the immune system becomes. This
condition can sometimes block the airway to result in a
person having asthma. It is not transmitted and it is not
something that is hereditary. If there is anything posi-
tive to be said about this disease is that speaking with it
isn’t painful at all even though it sounds that way.
Henkel’s first surgery took place in 2009 at Mount
Sinai Hospital, New York City, and it included putting
her under anesthesia, shaving her vocal chords with a
laser, and putting anti growth inhibitors on her the
chords to slow down the growth of the virus. It was rec-
ommended for her not to speak for three weeks in order
for the swelling to go down. It took six months for the
swelling to subside, however her condition never went
away because the virus wasn’t totally removed and it
subsequently came back.
“The first surgery was covered by insurance. I was
informed at my post-op visit that he (Dr.Woo) was no
longer a participating doctor under the policy. They
actually said that at the time of my surgery because of
a mix up with his provider number he was no longer a
participant but because of the mix up it was overlooked
and the surgery was covered,” said Henkel.
Recently, Henkel has changed insurance companies
from Oxford to Aetna, and has determined that this
specialist is in the plan, but due to personal circum-
stances, Henkel will have to go through the transition
process with insurance companies again and has opted
to wait to look into seeing if her vocal chord special-
ist is in a new plan until she is sure that she will keep
the new insurance company. Her biggest annoyance
with insurance companies is “being directed to doc-
tors who the insurance companies think will assist me
just to find out that the doctor can’t diagnose the prob-
lem,” said Jennifer Also Henkel finds the lack of
knowledge of medical diagnoses that the insurance
companies are unaware of is frustrating. The out of
pocket cost of the Laryngeal papillomas surgery is
approximately $5,000, which is more than Henkel can
afford.
If Henkel were able to find an insurance company
who has Dr. Woo in their network and has the second
surgery she would get most of her speaking voice back
which would be a blessing to both her and her family.
She wants the public to know that the condition of
Laryngeal papillomas is out there and for us to have the
knowledge that this disease can sneak up on a person at
any time and that it is not something that she ever
thought would happen to her.
Jennifer Henkel: wife, mother, director, and survivor
of overcoming the obstacles in her life everyday proves
that anything is possible if you just believe in yourself
and in your abilities.
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Nature has seen fit to provide human mouths with a naturalassortment of bacteria types that vary from individual toindividual. Many of these bacteria types are harmless, butseveral types that many of us have produce acids as abyproduct of their metabolism. These types ingest the samefoods we do, with a special love for refined carbohydrates.
They also produce a sticky matrix (plaque) on whichthey accumulate quickly. If not mechanically removed intwenty-four hours, they are numerous enough to produceacid concentrated enough to eat through tooth enamel.Once the tooth structure is soften by the acid the bacteriathen invade the tooth and begin to consume it, reproduce,produce more acid, etc. Subsequent decay progressioncan result in the bacteria invading the blood vessel/ nervecomplex deep inside the tooth with the possible resultof a severe toothache, a chronic draining infection,or an infection that can spread throughout the body.
Once you can “see” a hole in the tooth or feelsensitivity to cold or sweet from acavity the tooth is already severe-ly damaged.
Bacterial accumulation of a dif-ferent type, those that do not loveacid or oxygen-rich envi-ronments, can causeinflammation of theperiodontal (gum) sup-port of the teeth. Thiseventually causes boneloss on the tooth sock-ets as the accumulationcontinues on the toothroot surfaces, with real
loosening of the teeth and loss of both tooth and bone apotentiality.
All these tooth woes are caused by bacterial accumula-tion in the presence of the chemicals in the foods we eatand drink. The simple remedy is to physically disrupt theiraccumulation very regularly and methodically.
It is necessary to brush each tooth surface; inside biting,and outside very thoroughly with out missing any. Anglingthe bristles of the brush into the gumline at 45 degree angleprovides best reach under gum and in between teeth whereaccumulation is fastest. Flossing is necessary to disruptbacteria where the teeth touch each other and on thebetween surfaces below the tooth contacts.
Brushing and flossing is best performed upon rising,after meals or snacks and right before retiring. Thelast tooth cleaning of the day is very important asbacteria multiply fastest when we sleep due to lesssaliva dilution and self cleaning oral movements.
The average person with good oral hygienehabits should also have a professional den-
tal cleaning and exam with selectedlimited x-rays to detect new cavitiesevery 6 months. Some need morefrequent maintenance depending onseverity of bacterial activity natu-rally present or on the ability ofthe patient to control it.This regular maintenance is
not expensive, even in a non-insured private practice situation.
What is always costly, both in terms ofhealth results and monetary involve-ment, is the repair of damage.
The Best Dentistry is Preventive
973-365-1267 • www.RickPaternosterDDS.com
A
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 25
A s the cost of healthcare in
the United States continues
to skyrocket, some people
are coming to realize that they need
to do more than swallow pharmaceu-
tical pills to get well and stay well.
Increasingly, evidence is point-
ing to the importance of consuming
a diet rich in good quality fruits and
vegetables, whole grains and other
plant-based nutrients, as well as
taking appropriate supplements,
getting regular exercise and finding
ways to reduce the stresses of life
that take their toll on the body.
“One has to take responsibility
for his or her own health and it real-
ly requires a full-time effort,” said
Dr. Glenn Gero. “Wellness is not a
part-time job.”
Dr. Gero is a Clifton-based
naturopathic specialist whose focus
is on helping patients get back on
the road to good health and lifelong
wellness through natural therapies
rather than relying on drugs alone
to quell their symptoms.
According to Dr. Gero, many ill-
nesses, particularly long-term chron-
ic conditions such as allergies, diges-
tive disorders, depression, pain, and
even diabetes and heart disease, are
actually symptoms of physiological
imbalances in the body often caused
by a lack of attention to healthy
behaviors and exposure to toxins in
the environment.
Dr. Gero holds a doctor of natur-
opathy degree from Trinity College
of Natural Health and is completing
a doctor of science degree in nutri-
tion from Hawthorne University.
Among his other credentials, he is a
registered nutrition counselor, a
trained medical exercise specialist
and cancer exercise specialist, and a
certified biofeedback therapist.
Naturopaths, such as Dr. Gero,
do not prescribe pharmaceutical
medications. Instead, they review
blood chemistry as well as the
M E D I C I N E
M I R A C L E S
Holistic HealthTaking responsibility for your health the natural way
By Carol Leonard
&
Dr. Glenn Gero on the Passaic River.
Th
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 26
patient’s symptoms, diet and
lifestyle, and may administer or
recommend other appropriate tests
to uncover areas of imbalance or
stress in the body.
This review may also include
assessing the side effects of prescrip-
tion medications the patient is taking
and how these drugs may be deplet-
ing the body of vital nutrients. For
example, certain cholesterol lower-
ing medications, also known as
statins, have been known to inhibit
the body’s production of CoQ10, an
enzyme that, among other benefits,
is vital to heart strength and muscle
health. In such a case, the treatment
plan may include a recommendation
that the patient take a CoQ10 supple-
ment or consider other natural ways
to lower cholesterol.
As Dr. Gero explained, the role of
naturopathic doctors is to uncover the
source of the patient’s disorder rather
than just treating the symptoms.
“I consider myself more of a
physiological detective,” he said.
“The biggest difference between
naturopathic doctors and conven-
tional medical doctors is that we
don’t treat disease, we treat the
imbalances that cause disease.”
Dr. Gero always tells his patients
to let their medical doctors know that
they are seeing him. He also tries to
have a dialogue with a patient’s med-
ical doctor to find areas of agreement
in the treatment plan and to suggest
appropriate modifications to prescrip-
tions and medication dosages.
“I believe in integrative medi-
cine,” he said. “In some cases, a
pharmaceutical drug can save a
patient’s life. But integrating con-
ventional medical care with the nat-
ural laws of healthy living is going to
produce the most optimal outcome.”
Following his comprehensive
Dr. Glenn Gero at his practice at 256 Colfax Ave.
assessment of the patient’s biochem-
istry, medications, diet and lifestyle,
Dr. Gero develops a treatment plan
with the patient that focuses on the
whole person -- body, mind and spir-
it. This may include recommenda-
tions for improvement in diet as well
as supplements such as certain vita-
mins, minerals and herbs. It is almost
certain to also include a plan to
increase physical activity through
daily exercise. “I consider exercise to
be a magic bullet to good health and
the prevention of illness,” he said.
Dr. Gero also helps his patients
overcome and deal with stress and
the negative influences in their
lives that contribute to poor health.
“I strongly believe in the mind-
body connection and its influence
on wellness,” he said.
Inside his Holistic Naturopathic
Center at 256 Colfax Ave., Dr. Gero
has a fully equipped fitness room,
where he works with patients on
corrective exercises and teaches
them about the healthful benefits of
daily fitness activities.
He also has a room dedicated to
biofeedback training, where he uses
computerized electronic instrumenta-
tion to help some patients overcome
physiological patterns of behavior,
often unconscious, that may result in
such symptoms as high blood pres-
sure, headaches, insomnia, depres-
sion, anxiety and poor digestion.
Another room houses a medical
sauna, where, through the use of
infrared heat, patients can receive
relief from back and shoulder pain,
migraine headaches, fibromyalgia
and various other conditions and
discomforts.
Dr. Gero is one of about only two
dozen qualified naturopathic doctors
in the state, so his patients come
from far and wide to see him. He
says that on average patients travel
about 45 minutes to his office.
Among his more local patients is
84 year-old Clifton resident Peter
Ciolino. His daughter Michele
Ciolino brought him to see Dr.
Gero last summer following a bout
with vasculitis, an autoimmune dis-
order that developed following an
infection that had settled in his
lung. The condition led to kidney
failure, hospitalization and
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 27
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the need to be on dialysis and
Prednisone, a corticosteroid med-
ication. Long-term use of corticos-
teroids can lead to weight gain,
muscle weakness, osteoporosis and
other secondary medical problems.
When efforts to wean Ciolino off
Prednisone resulted in a relapse, his
primary care physician suggested
that he consult with Dr. Gero for
other options.
Upon evaluating his case, Dr.
Gero recommended a number of
natural supplements to maintain
current levels of kidney function,
as well as improve lung function
and normalize his immunity.
Michele said that she discussed
with Dr. Gero some other natural
anti-inflammatory supplements for
her father that she had researched
and he agreed that they should also
give them a try.
Ciolino has been totally off
Prednisone since January and,
according to his daughter, is doing
fine without the medication.
“The amazing thing is that with-
out the natural supplementation he
had a relapse,” Michele said. “But
when we added what Dr. Gero rec-
ommended, he did so much better.”
Dr. Gero said that he spends about
an hour to an hour and a half with
patients, far more time than the aver-
age visit with most medical doctors.
He is very pleased when patients
or family members come to him
armed with information about their
conditions from the internet or
other sources. “I want my patients
to come in here informed,” he said.
“An informed patient is a better,
more motivated patient.”
Dr. Gero completes about 200-
400 hours of continuing education
every year. “This is an information
booming society,” he said. “I’m in
a position of responsibility and I
need to stay ahead of my patients.”
He believes that patients need to
work in partnership with their doc-
tors and must be willing to make
the necessary changes in their lives
to get well.
He said, “I always tell my patients,
if you come to me today, I can help
you feel better in seven days. But it’s
not just about feeling better next
week. You have to change your per-
spective. It’s how you feel five years
from now that will tell me if I have
truly made a difference in your life.”
While many people would refer
to Dr. Gero’s practice as “alterna-
tive medicine,” he believes it’s the
other way around. “Natural reme-
dies are the oldest form of medi-
cine,” he said. “How could eating
right, the absorption of vital nutri-
ents, exercise and the avoidance of
aberrant thinking ever be consid-
ered alternative? The real alterna-
tive medicine is drugs and surgery.”
To learn more about Dr. Gero
and the Holistic Naturopathic
Center, visit his website at:
www.holisticnaturopath.com.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 30
M E D I C I N E
M I R A C L E S
Proof PositiveIt’s all about attitude when you’re dealing with cancer
By Joe Hawrylko
&
T wenty three year oldsdon’t get cancer. That’s
the first thing that raced
through Brooke Van Beveren’s
mind when her doctor revealed that
the lumps on her neck tested posi-
tive for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“Apparently, it’s normal for
younger people to get it,” she said.
Hodgkin’s, a cancer of white blood
cells, primarily effects people aged 15
to 35, or those over 55. “You know
when you’re sick and your lymph
nodes swell up? Well after a couple
months, mine never went down.”
The diagnosis was delivered in
July 2010 and Van Beveren’s doc-
tors immediately set out to address
the disease.
“The one doctor said, if you’re
going to have cancer, this is one of
the best ones to have,” she laughed.
“I was worried, but not as worried
as most people would probably
think. I mean, I was a little scared,
but I guess I had faith in medicine.”
The first order of business when
dealing with such a life altering dis-
ease is to find a knowledgeable and
friendly doctor to put together a
plan for treatment.
“He felt like a grandpa,” Van
Beveren said of the doctor she
selected. “He was very nice and I
trusted him. He said it was very
early and he said that I probably
only had it for about six months.
But it was fast growing.”
Van Beveren, a member of the
CHS Class of 2005 and a 2010
Seton Hall Grad, was lucky that her
cancer was detected early. She
experienced few symptoms from
the cancer besides back aches and
cold sweat. However, Van Beveren
would still have to endure rounds
of debilitating chemotherapy and
Brooke Van Beveren, a 2005 CHS alum, survived Hodgkins Lymphoma.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 31
North Jersey Eye Associates
Considering
Eye Surgery?
Choose the Eye SurgeonsKnown for the BestQuality Eye Care
North Jersey Eye Associates1005 Clifton Ave., Clifton, NJ
973-472-4114For directions and more information
William S. Lesko, M.D. F.A.C.S.
Stuart E Wunsh, M.D. F.A.C.S.
Cecily Lesko, M.D. F.A.C.S.
Patricia Cucci, M.D. F.A.C.S.
Same Day, Sutureless,Laser Surgery
Reputation and Experience CountsReputation and Experience Counts
radiation treatments, each having
many side effects.
“Chemo was very challenging,”
she recalled. “The first two, my
body was reacting fine, but then the
third and fourth ones, I was sick. I
would be nauseous for a week after
the chemo. But, oddly enough, eat-
ing helped me not feel as nauseous.”
Van Beveren was most con-
cerned about hair loss, but ulti-
mately experienced very little.
“I was really worried about my
hair at first. I must have asked
about it a lot. But eventually, you
realize it’s only hair, they make
wigs,” she said. “It ended up thin-
ning out a lot, but if you didn’t
know me or how much hair I had,
you’d never notice.”
Besides the treatments and doc-
tor appointments, Van Beveren did
her best to live life as if she was
cancer free. The only major change
was taking a four month leave from
her job at Brookstone in the
Paramus Park Mall, returning in
October.
“It didn’t really effect me emo-
tionally so much,” she said. “You
do sometimes think why me, but I
think I had a good attitude towards
everything and I think that helped.”
And if for some reason she was
ever lacking self motivation, Van
Beveren could count of having her
spirits lifted by the generosity of
her Clifton neighbors.
The VFW Post 7165 on Valley
Rd. hosted a fundraiser for Van
Beveren on Sept. 19 of last year,
raising over $10,000. The Boys &
Girls Club also held a benefit beef-
steak on Nov. 12. At The
Clif on Clifton Ave. collection buckets were kept on the
bartop for several months by owner Skip Kazer.
Many more donations and kind gestures were
received, including some from kind hearted strangers
that Van Beveren had never
even met.
“I was not at all expect-
ing anything like that at
all,” she said. “People were
constantly calling the
house.”
“There are people that I
haven’t even talked to since
high school that showed up
at the brunch, sent me ran-
dom emails or facebook
messages telling me that
they’re praying for me,” Van
Beveren continued. “It’s very surprising. You have all
these people that you haven’t seen in years actually
thinking about you. It makes you feel good. I definite-
ly wasn’t expecting that.”
The support helped keep the Cliftonite positive while
enduring the poisonous chemicals needed to kill the can-
cer. This winter, while wapping up her final radiation
treatments, doctors informed the Cliftonite that her can-
cer had gone into remission.
“When I told everyone before Christmas that I was can-
cer free, my mom started cry-
ing and then my dad started
crying,” she laughed. “I
guess you could say it was
one of the best Christmas
presents you could ask for.”
Van Beveren’s radiation
therapy was completed on
Feb. 1. Now cancer free, all
that’s left are her regular
scans to make sure that the
disease stays dormant and
some tweaks to make sure it
doesn’t come back.
“It definitely makes me want to get back into shape and
start exercising again,” she said. “That’s really helpful in
staying cancer free The doctors told me that it’s not sup-
posed to change my life, but that I’m supposed to work in
the changes into my life.”
Although Van Beveren completed her treatments
weeks ago, she’s yet to celebrate the milestone.
“I figure I’ll wait for my birthday,” laughed Van
Beveren, who will turn 24 on March 4. “I’m too nerv-
ous to celebrate right away. You have this feeling, you
ask yourself, is it really gone?”
Even after all the chemo, radiation therapy and other
treatments, the whole experience is still surreal.
“It’s one of those things you think would never hap-
pen to you, especially at this age. You just can’t imagine
it happening to yourself,” she said. “I guess you do take
some things for granted.”
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 32
973-772-8451Roofing • Siding
Seamless Gutters Additions • Alterations
Hodgkin’s lymphoma is most common among people
ages 15-35 and 50-70. It is thought that the Epstein-Barr
virus (also the cause of mononucleosis) contribues to most cases.
See a doctor if the following symptoms persist for several weeks:
swollen lymph nodes, itchy skin, fatigue, weight loss, night sweats
and random fever and chills.
Hodgkin’s is considered one of the most curable forms of can-
cer. If caught in Stage Two or earlier, the survival rate for 10 years
is more than 90%. Even if it is diagnosed later, the survival rate
is still near 90 percent and those who remain cancer free for 15
years often remain so for life.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 33
E rin Cluney originally of Clifton, New Jersey,
currently residing inNewYorkCity, rana26.2
mile marathon in PF Chang’s Rock’N’Roll
Marathon Series in Phoenix,Arizona on January 16th,
2011. Cluney and co-workers from Coach, Inc were
membersofTeaminTrainingwhichistheworld’slargest
endurance sports training program, and all donations
benefitedTheLeukemia&LymphomaSociety.
CluneybeganhermarathoncareerinOctoberof2009
whenshebegantrainingforthefirsttimeforamarathon
thatwasheldinParis,Francewhereshefinishedwitha
timeof5:41.Recently,CluneyfinishedthePFChang’s
Rock’n’Roll Marathon Series with a time of 5:27, an
improvementof14minutes.
CluneyraninhonorofBillyMaurer,ofClifton,who
is a longtime family friend. Maurer was diagnosed in
October2005withMultipleMyelomawhichiscancerof
theblood.AfterastemcelltransplantinDecember2006,
his cancer is now in remission. Maurer has had two
strokes,oneinAprilandanotherinNovemberof2010.
“Heattendsphysicaltherapyonanoutpatientbasis.His
recovery has been remarkable despite all his health
setbacksandheiscontinuingtomakestrideseveryday”
saysDanielleBeazley,daughterofMaurer.
When asked how theMaurer family is copingwith
Maurer’sdiagnosis,AshleyMaurer,ofClifton,said,“Our
familyisholdingupthebestthatwecan.Weallloveeach
otherverymuchandweareeachother'sshoulder'stolean
on.Themostdifficultpartisthefactthatmyfathercan't
speakallthatmuch,soitishardforhimtocommunicate
withusbutwemanagetounderstandhim.Thebestpart
isthathestillhashissenseofhumorandheknowshow
to laugh and as a family we
always have a good time no
matter what. My father would
notwantanyofustofeelsorry
forhim,soourlivesgoon,but
heisstillhereandthatisallwe
canaskfor!”
Cluney is Senior Planning
ManagerforCoach’sFullPrice
NorthAmericanRetail. In this
position, she is responsible for
creating sales plans to hit the
company’s overall corporate
financial targets, and buying the inventory to support
those sales for Coach Inc’s North American Retail
business. With the assistance of generous family and
friends,Cluneyraised$3,605.00andtheCoach,Incteam
raised $100,000.00.SinceCoachhas attained this high
leveloffundraising,anLLSresearcherworkingtofind
bettertreatmentsforbloodcancerwillbenamedinhonor
ofTeamCoach'sefforts.
AdditionaldonationscanbemadetoTheLeukemia
& Lymphoma Society by visiting Erin Cluney’s
donation page at http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/
pfchangs11/ecluney.
Erin Cluney, with her friend Billy Maurer.
M E D I C I N E
M I R A C L E S
Running LongFor Billy Maurer and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
By Chrissy Cluney
&
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 34
M E D I C I N E
M I R A C L E S
HometownDoctor
&
By Carol Leonard
I f you happen to be a patientattheCliftonImmedicenteron
BroadSt.,chancesarethatyou
have been treated one or more
timesbyDr.ThomasDelCasale.
Aside from the center’s
cofounderandowner,Dr.Michael
Basista,Dr.DelCasaleisthemost
seniormemberofthemedicalstaff
at the Immedicenter,wherehehas
workedformorethan20years.
A native of Saddle Brook who
stilllivesinthearea,Dr.DelCasale
saidheknewfromayoungagethat
he wanted a career in the science
field. After graduating with a
degree in biology from Rutgers
NewarkUniversity, hewent on to
attend New York College of
OsteopathicMedicine.
If you pick up one of Dr. Del
Casale’sbusinesscardsorreceivea
prescription from him, you will
notice the designation, “D.O.”
instead of “M.D.” after his name.
Thisisbecausegraduatesofosteo-
pathicmedical schools receive the
title, “doctor of osteopathicmedi-
cine,” rather than the usual “med-
icaldoctor”designation.
According to Dr. Del Casale,
there isn’t much difference in the
curriculumatregularorosteopath-
ic medical schools. Osteopathic
physicians just receive additional
traininginthemusculoskeletalsys-
temandcanperformmanipulation
techniques somewhat similar to
thoseusedbychiropractors.Inthe
UnitedStates,DOsandMDshave
the same medical practice rights
andphilosophiesofpatientcare.
Followinggraduationfrommed-
ical school, Dr. Del Casale com-
pletedageneralresidencyprogram
at Kennedy Memorial Hospital in
Saddle Brook (which now houses
KesslerRehabilitationCenter)and
a residency in family practice at
WestEssexHospital.
At the time that he joined the
Immedicenterfollowingcompletion
of his second residency program,
free-standing urgent care centers
were a fairly new concept. In fact,
when the Clifton Immedicenter
openedin1984atitsoriginalsmall-
erlocationontheothersideofBroad
St.,itwasthefirstofitskindinthis
partofNewJersey.
“Iwasn’treadytostartapractice
ofmyownandI thought itwould
give me a broad range of experi-
ence with different kinds of
Dr. Thomas Del Casale and Dr. Michael Basista.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 35
patients,”Dr.DelCasalesaid.
Theoriginal ideaofurgentcare
centerswastoprovideaconvenient
walk-in facility in the community
withextendedhourswherepeople
withepisodicillnessesornon-life-
threateningorminorinjuriescould
comesevendaysaweekfor treat-
mentinsteadoftravelingtoahos-
pitalemergencyroom.
OvertheyearsthatDr.DelCasale
hasbeenwiththeImmedicenter,he
has seen an expansion of this con-
cept to also provide a setting for
ongoingmedicalcareforindividuals
and families. Today, about 50 per-
centofbusinessisfrompatientswho
use the Immedicenter’s doctors as
theirprimarycarephysicians.
“We’re still like a mini emer-
gencyroomforpeoplewhowalkin
withinjuriesanddifferenttypesof
illnesses,”hesaid.“Butpeoplecan
alsomakeappointmentsforroutine
physicalsandfollow-upvisits.”
Additionally, Immedicenter
patientscanmakeanappointmentor
justwalkintothefacilitytoreceive
flushotsandothervaccinations,and
thecentercontractswithanumberof
employersintheareatotreatwork-
er’scompensationcases.
TheCliftonImmedicenteraswell
as the center’s other facilities in
BloomfieldandTotowaofferpatients
whoneedthemon-sitevisitswithcer-
tainmedicalspecialistsatleastoncea
week.Theseincludeagastroenterolo-
gist,acardiologist,anorthopedicsur-
geonandavascularspecialist.
“Patients like the feeling of
being able to come back to the
samemedicalpracticeforthiscare
instead of being referred else-
where,”Dr.DelCasalesaid.
The Immedicenters also offer
somecosmetologyservices,suchas
hairremoval,BotoxandJuvederm.
During an average shift in
Clifton or at the Bloomfield
Immedicenter, where he also is
assigned, Dr. Del Casale treats
about30patientsofallages.
On a typical day hemay see a
varietyofcases,rangingfrompeo-
plewithsorethroats,earachesand
gastrointestinal complaints, to
sprained ankles, cuts that need
stitches and even children with
smallobjectsstuckuptheirnoses.
“You just never know what’s
goingtowalkthroughthedoor,”he
said.
He especially enjoys seeing
regularpatientswhocomeinwith
appointments for annual physical
exams,alsoknownaswellvisits.
Manyofthesepeoplespecifically
asktobeseenbyDr.DelCasale,
so itgiveshimabetterchanceto
gettoknowthemandtheirhealth
histories, and to offer advice
about preventative care and
screenings.
Hefeelsthatthemostchalleng-
ing cases arewhenpeoplepresent
with chest pain, headaches or
severeabdominalpain.
“With those I need to be very
careful not to miss anything,” he
said. “Sometimes, there are cases
thatwe just can’t handle here and
weneed tosend themtoanemer-
gencyroomoraspecialist.”
Herecalledthecasefromafew
yearsagoofaman inhis late50s
whocameinwithchestpain.
“He had a normal EKG, but I
justhadafeelingsomethingwasn’t
right, so I sent him to the emer-
gencyroomformoretests,”Dr.Del
Casale said. “He was resistant to
go, but I convinced his family to
takehim.It turnedout thathehad
tohavesevencardiacstentsputin.
Youjustneedtohaveahighindex
ofsuspicionwithcaseslikethat.”
Allpatientswhoareseenat the
Immedicenter receive a follow up
call the next day from one of the
nurses to see how they are doing.
Dr.DelCasalefeelsthatit’sagood
practice that many patients don’t
expect,butappreciate.
“Theymayhavequestionsabout
theirmedication or there is some-
thing they don’t understand,” he
said.“Somepeoplearetooembar-
rassedtocall,sothisgivestheman
opportunitytoclearitup.”
When asked what advice he
would give to people to staywell
and freeof illness,Dr.DelCasale
hadthefollowingpointers:
• Don’t smoke.• Try to exercise regularly, even if it’s just walking.
• Eat a healthy diet and avoid anexcess of saturated fat.
• Get a proper amount of sleep, at least seven hours every night.
• Get regular physical exams and do preventive screening.
Healsorecommendedthatpeople
maintain good communication with
theirdoctorsandavoidusingtheinter-
netorwhattheyhearinthemediaasa
diagnostictoolforthemselves.
“Stay informed, but be careful
whereyougetyourmedical infor-
mation,”hesaid.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 36
M E D I C I N E
M I R A C L E S
The PioneersClifton Drs. were on the cutting edge of cataract surgery
&
By Joe Hawrylko
In 2011, a cataract is some-thing thatcanberemovedand
treated in a surgery center in
aboutanhour.Butthatwasnotthat
case in the 1970s, when Drs.
William Lesko and Stuart Wunsh
of North Jersey Eye Associates
wereamong the first in the region
to practice newly developed sur-
gery techniques for treating
cataracts.
Thistale’soriginstracebackto
World War II, when a British
opthalmologist Sir Harold Ridley
made an observation that would
revolutionize vision correction
forever.
The doctor was most
often called upon to
remove foreign objects
from the eyes of his
patients.Inmostinstances,
ifleftuntouched,theobject
will ultimately cause
irreparable vision damage
totheeye,ifnotdestroyit
entirely.
However, Ridley had
documented several
instanceswheregunnersaboardB-
17 Flying Fortress bombers were
admitted with shrapnel wounds.
Despite having shards of acrylic
plastic from the protective gunner
canopieslodgedintheeye,patients
did not exhibit any signs of the
bodyrejectingtheforeignobjects.
Ridley used his observations
fromthebattlefieldasinspirationin
his trained field, and ultimately
developed a prototype for an
intralocularlensforuseincataract
surgery in1949. Theprocesswas
gradually refined over the
Dr. William Lesko, his daughter, Dr. Cecily Lesko,and Dr. Stuart Wunsh.
A cataract
is the clouding of
the crystalline lens in the
eye, which can gradually
cause vision loss and
potentially blindness.
Treatment requires the
removal of the lenses and
the insertion of a prosthe-
sis.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 37
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 38
Botany Has It All...Hair Stylists and SalonsAngel’s Unisex (973) 772-4408
Jay’s Hair Sensation (973) 546-0730Kiara Beauty Salon (973) 546-3290Ozzie’s Barber Shop (973) 546-5647Perfection Unisex (973) 546-4662Puebla Beauty Salon (973) 772-3733Wanda’s Beauty Salon (973) 478-6665
Health, Beauty & Healing NaturalNew Age Store Leecatzin (973) 546-8647 Nature Health and Beauty (973) 772-5040
Clothing for Mom & the FamilyFashion Bargains (973) 772-4010Fashion Bug (973) 458-9265
Dollar StoresDollar Mania (973) 340-2063Dollar Rite (973) 340-5727
Bars and TavernsEl Dorado Restaurant and Lounge (973) 246-1856
Italian American Coop (973) 546-9737Juan Aldos Bar (973) 778-4114
Johnny’s (973) 546-9813Macedonia Bar (973) 478-2778Rossi’s Tavern (973) 546-9843
And Welcome to the Village...Self Reliance (NJ) Federal Credit Union
237 Dayton Ave.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 39
nexttwodecadesandbegantoper-
meatethemedicalmarket.
In1977,Lesko,thenalsoapro-
fessor at Mount Sinai Medical
School,wasamongthefirst in the
region to utilize the cutting edge
technologyinpractice.
“St. Mary’s sprung for the
research,” he explained. By the
1980s, the procedure eventually
cametobethestandardforcataract
treatment.Lesko,whohashadhis
ownpracticesince1968,explained
howtheeyecarefieldhasdramati-
cally evolved over the past 40
years.
“Whatwe’re able to do now is
phenomenal,” he explained. “We
usedtohavetokeeppeopleinthe
hospital for seven days and now
they go to the surgery center and
they’reinandoutwithinanhour.”
Further advances have now
made theentireprocessmoreeffi-
cient. The incision needed to put
the lenses was once as large as 8
millimeters,whilenewtechnology
allows for microscopic insertion
pointsassmallas1.8millimeters.
Dr. Wunsh is also specially
trained in phaco-emulsification,
which is the use of ultrasonic
wavestobreakupcataractsorother
tissuepriortolensinsertion.
“Now we have on the drawing
boardalensesthatyoucanputinthe
eyeanduseacorrectivelasertoplace
itwhileit’sinside,”addedLesko.
Today, the twowork out of the
practiceofficeonCliftonAve.and
their surgery center in Fairlawn.
They’ve since been joined by
Lesko’sdaughter,Cecily,whorep-
resentsthenextgenerationofoph-
thalmologists in Clifton. She uti-
lizes modern intraocular lenses to
correct astigmatism and focusing
issues.Email: [email protected]
LIBERTY AUTO ELECTRIC101 Straight Street
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973.928.3976
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NewLocation!Corner ofUnion Ave.Across fromDunkin Donuts
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 40
By Joe Hawrylko
B ob Smith still vividlyremembers being so large
that justgettingupaflight
uppresentedachallengethatwould
leavehimoutofbreath.
“MywholestoryisthatIalways
worry about going back to being
heavy again,” he said. “That was
mywholeissue,goingbacktothat.”
Most of his photos from adult
him show Smith as a heavy set
man.Itwasn’talwaysthatway.
“I was kind of skinny as a kid
butthenIstartedtograduallygain
weight,” he said. “It seemed like
afterIquitsmokingiswhenIreal-
lystartedtogain.”
“It’s been over give years now
andmostoffitwastakenoffinthe
firstyear,yearandahalf,”hesaid.
“It’s hard to get over 150 pounds
now.”
Thedecidingfactorinmakinga
changewastheneverendinghealth
problemsfromhisweight.
“I did it for the health reasons.
Diabetes,highbloodpressure—all
gone,”hesaid.“Iwasalwaystired.
Ihadnoenergy.Ihadbackandleg
pain.WhenadoctortoldmeIhad
diabetes,Itriedlosingweightalit-
tle bit but the dietsweren’twork-
ing. I have terrible eating habits
stilltothisday.”
Smith, who owns CliftonAuto
repairshoponSabagoSt.,saidone
of the main traps is buying lunch
almost every day. “I never took
timeouttoeat.IeatbecauseIhad
to,”heexplained.“AndIateatthe
wrong times too. I ate before I
went to bed, late at night. Binge
eatingmaybeyou’dcallit.Ididn’t
eveneatarealloteverreally,itwas
justallatthewrongtimes.”
M E D I C I N E
M I R A C L E S&
Weigh to GoBob Smith shed 200lbs
continued on page 45
Bob Smith in a recent photo five years after his lap band surgery.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 41
18,983. That is the num-ber of names inscribedon the National LawEnforcement OfficersMonument and Memorialin Washington D.C. Eachname represents a sadstory of an officer fromacross the U.S. killed inthe line of duty, including Clifton Police OfficerJohn Samra, who died in the line of duty on Nov.
21, 2003. To raise awareness of Fallen Officers and to raisefunds for that memorial, the Clifton Police Department sends ateam of bicyclists and support people every year on a 300 milebicycle trek.
This year’s trip begins on May 9 and arrives inWashington 3 days later. The Clifton team joins over 1,000
other riders and support people and together they must raiseover $1.3 million to help complete that monument and muse-
POLICE UNITY TOURWe Ride For Those Who Have Died.
How Can You Help?
ATTEND A FUNDRAISER:March 10, 2011 • 8pm
Pub Night Fundraiserat Pub 46
April 10, 2011 • 4 - 8pm
Pasta Dinner at The Boys & Girls Clubof Clifton
BUY A RAFFLE TICKET:$5.00 T.V. RaffleTickets (See page 00)
$5.00 Bike RaffleTickets (See page 00)
MAKE A CONTRIBUTION: Officer John Kavakich973-470-5897
Tom Hawrylko973-253-4400
Officer John Samra
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 42
Thanks to all who have contributed or supported us in any way or amount.
um in the nation’s capitol. Over $28,000 of those funds must be raised by Clifton
members of the Police Unity Tour and we are asking foryour help. There are a number of ways you can contribute.Participating members are selling $5 raffles for a chance towin one of two tvs or a TREK bicycle. Attend a fundraiser or
make a contribution. In advance, we’d like to say your sup-port is greatly appreciated.
Go to www.policeunitytour.com for details or check outwww.cliftonpba36.com. To help out, purchase tickets ormake a donation, call Clifton Police Officer John Kavakich at973-470-5897 or Tom Hawrylko at 973-253-4400.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 43
CyclistRobert BaisRandy ColondresRichard DiBelloBrian FopmaTom HawrylkoJohn KavakichCharles KazimirDavid KishbaughElena Siery
Motor EscortsWilliam BaisRobert BielstenDarren BrodieDerek Fogg
Support TeamRocco LocantoreMichael McLaughlin
Our thanks to Joey Barcellona of Bliss Lounge who hosted a benefit happy hour on Feb. 4and donated nearly $4,000 to help fund the Clifton members of the 2011 Police Unity Tour.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 44
Worth over $500No monetary value. Winner has option of male or female bicycle.
Proceeds from these raffles benefit CliftonPBA members who participate in the 2011Police Unity Tour. This annual 300 mile bicycleride leaves NJ on May 9 in an effort to raiseawareness of police officers who have died inthe line of duty and to raise funds for theNational Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.The group must raise $28,000 and asks thecommunity to support the effort by purchasingraffle tickets or sending a donation.
To purchase tickets, call CliftonPolice Officer John Kavakich at 973-470-5897, or via e-mail [email protected] or callTom Hawrylko at 973-253-4400.
Both Drawings to be held on Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 8 pm at the Clifton PBA 36 Unity Tour Pasta Dinner
We Ride for Those Who Have Died
55” Bravia Value: $2600
40” Toshiba Value: $700
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 45
This routine and his overall
health made it difficult to shed
weight naturally. Eventually,
Smith began researching surgical
options and ultimately settled on
lapband.
“They take your stomach and
makea littlepouch,about thesize
of one ounce,” explained Smith.
Such a procedure is drastic and is
sometimes risky depending on a
patient’shealth.
“Idecidedtodoitprobablyayear
aftermy doctor toldme I had dia-
betes. I wasn’t losing any weight
andonlythendidIdecidetodoit,”
hecontinued.“Evenmydoctorwas-
n’t crazy aboutme doing it. Later
on,oneofthedoctorsrefusedtodoit
becauseofmysize.”
When he found a surgeon that
would accept him, Smith had to
loose 15 pounds before he would
be accepted. Doctors also diag-
nosedSmithwithH.pylori,abac-
terial infection of the stomach,
whichwas treatedprior to the life
alteringsurgery.
Not longafterbeingdischarged
from the hospital, it was apparent
thatthesurgerywassuccessful.
“Allof themedical issueswent
away fairly quick once I had the
surgery,” Smith recalled. “The
bloodpressurepillsandsugarpills
went away kind of immediately.
Andthepainisnotthatbad.They
toldmenottogobacktoworkfor
sixweeks,butIwentbackintwo.”
The Cliftonite also become
much more diligent in exercising
anddietingaftertheprocedure.
“I walked every day after my
surgery, every day,” said Smith.
Such radical weight loss often
resultsinsaggyskin,andhisexer-
cisedhelpmitigatethatsideeffect.
Butthisradicalprocedureisnot
withoutpitfalls.Lapbandsurgery
drasticallylimitswhatpatientscan
eatandhowmuchofit.
“Thefirstcoupledays—andit’sa
funny thing—you’re watching TV
and everything is a food commer-
cial,” Smith recalled. “Everything.
Itmight not actually be one but in
yourbrain,everythingisafoodcom-
mercialandyoucan’teatit.”
“It’shard.Ican’teatfriedstuffno
more,Ican’tgotoHotGrill,”hecon-
tinued.“It’sabigadjustmenttoeat-
ing soups and everything else, like
when you go out for dinner and
you’re eating an appetizer when
everyoneelseiseatingsomekindof
entree. And you can drink... but if
you drink, you can’t eat, so you’ve
gottomakeachoice.”
Red meats, once a favorite, are
nowararetreat.“IfIhaveaham-
burger,maybe I’ll crush it up and
putalotofgravyonit,”saidSmith.
“Steak, the first time I had filet
mignon after my surgery, I got
deadlysickandthat turnedmeoff
toeatingstufflikethat.”
Butdespitethesacrifices,Smith
doesn’tregrethischoice.
“It’s a cool feeling when you
couldgotoastoreandbuyclothes
whenbeforeyouhadtogotoabig
and tallmen’s shop,” he said. “It
waskindof like,wow I fit in32s
whenIfitin48sbefore.”
“I mean, I used to wear sweat
pantsallthetimebecauseIcouldn’t
wear jeans,” Smith continued.
“Now,Ihavesomepeoplewalkinto
myshopandask,where’sBob?It’s
prettycool.”
TheCliftonitehasasolemnvow
toneverletapathycompromisehis
healthagain.
“I just don’t want to go back
there,that’smymainthing.Itwas
aroughgo,”hesaid.“Itwaslikea
do or die thing. You’ve got to
either get busy living or get busy
dying,right?”
Bob Smith in an undated photo prior to his surgery.
Weigh to Gocontinued on page 40
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 46
“W e must turn tonature itself, tothe observations
of the body in health and in diseaseto learn the truth.” —Hippocrates
Undoubtedly, modern Western
medicinehasmadegreatstridesin
treatingacute illnessesand insav-
inglivesthroughadvancesinphar-
maceutical drugs, surgical tech-
niques and diagnostic technology.
But increasingly in our area and
elsewhere people with ongoing
pain and other chronic and recur-
ringmedicalconditionsareturning
to older, more natural forms of
treatmentforrelief.
ACUPUNCTURE: The Ancient Chinese Art of Healing
Eversincehewasateenager,66
year-old Clifton resident Pierre
Tessier had suffered with chronic
headaches.
A retired line supervisor for
GlaxoSmithKline, Tessier would
get up in the morning with a
headache and go to bed at night
with the same grueling pain. “It
wasterrible,”hesaid.“Ijusthadto
learntolivewithit.”
Over the years, Tessier under-
went numerous CT scans, MRIs
andotherdiagnosticteststotryand
determinethecauseofhispain,but
tonoavail.“Theycouldneverfind
ananswer,”hesaid.“Thatwasvery
discouraging.”
For many years, Tessier’s only
outletwastoswallowpainpills,as
manyassevenatatime.“Iwasliv-
ingonExcedrin,”he said. “Itwas
killingmystomach,butIfeltIhad
nochoice.”
Eventually, Tessier decided to
visit a chiropractor, who, through
spinaladjustmentswasabletopro-
vide him with some relief. But
when chiropractic treatment alone
wasnotenough togethimoff the
volumeofpainmedication,hischi-
ropractor referred him to Clifton
acupuncturist Marina Doktorman
foradditionalhelp.
That was three years ago and
todayTessier is nearly totally free
of headaches and swears by the
benefits he has received from
acupuncture.
Tessierwentfortwotreatmentsa
weekinthebeginning,buthassince
reducedhisvisitstoonceaweek.
“It’snicewakingupinthemorn-
M E D I C I N E
M I R A C L E S
Natural FactDrug-free Natural Therapies Growing in Popularity
By Carol Leonard
&
Marina Doktorman doing a procedure on Cindy Stilger.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 47
ingwithoutaheadache,”hesaid.“I
used to carry Excedrin or aspirin
aroundwithmeeverywhereIwent.
Now,I’mgoingweekswithouttak-
inganything.”
AnotherofDoktorman’spatients
isCindyStilger,alsoofClifton.
Twenty years ago, Stilger was
involved inacaraccident that left
herwithmultipleinjuriesthatcon-
tinue to affect her back, leg and
neckaswellasherkneeandwrist.
Stilgerisaproponentofnatural
remediesoverthepainmedications
andmusclerelaxantsshehasbeen
prescribedover theyears. Inaddi-
tion to her weekly acupuncture
treatments, she has used a combi-
nationof chiropractic care aswell
as physical therapy and message
therapytofindrelief.
“When somany body parts are
involved, you needmultiple treat-
ments,”shesaid.“Eachofmyther-
apies has providedmewith a dif-
ferent benefit. Acupuncture has
beenagreathelp.”
Although relatively new to the
Western world, acupuncture has
beenusedbymedicalpractitioners
in China and other Eastern coun-
triesformorethan5,000years.
The practice primarily involves
the insertion by a trained and
licensedacupuncturistofaseriesof
very thin needles into specific
points along thebody to stimulate
self-healing.
Although the mechanism for
painreliefwithacupuncture isnot
totally understood, simply stated,
ancienttheoryproposesthatwithin
each of us there is an intelligent,
energetic system that maintains
health and balance. Acupuncture
practitioners call this energy Qi
(pronounced chee), and they
believethatourhealthisinfluenced
bythequality,quantityandbalance
ofthisinnateenergy.
WhenQiisbalancedandfreely
flowing, the body’s self-healing
abilities are activated. But when
life’sstressorsdisruptorblockQi’s
flow, thebodybecomesweakened
andsusceptibletopainanddisease,
andself-healingiscompromised.
“Thetheoryisaboutbalanceand
stateofmind,”Doktormansaid.
Overtheyears,acupuncturehas
gained the respect of not only the
alternative medicine community,
but also many mainstream
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 48
We’ll Mail Your Easter Order!
We now bake Homemade Hungarian RétesRétes, or Strudel,
is one of Hungary’s mostrenowned dishes. We bakeit like in the old days andoffer it to you in Lekvar,Poppyseed, Sour Cherry,Apple. Apricot or Cheese.
Our cases are filled withfresh Poppyseed, Lekvar,
Apricot and otherHungarian Spices!
The Jozsa Family, now in our second generation...
•Holiday Hams & otherTraditional Easter Foods• Pork, Beef, Cheese &Meat Products•Home Style Smoked Bacon& Smoked Sausages•We make our own Salami & offer many fine Imports
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 49
medical practitioners. In fact, in
recent months, the United States
military has been using acupunc-
turetotreatsoldiersinAfghanistan
suffering from concussions.Many
medicalinsuranceplansnowcover
acupuncturetreatments.
Doctorman received her three-
yeartrainingandamaster’sdegree
at the Tri-State College of
AcupunctureinNewYorkCityand
is licensed and board certified in
both New York and New Jersey.
She runs her practice within the
suite of offices occupied by her
dentist husband, Dr. Edward
Doktorman,at1030CliftonAve.
Shesaidshehashadgreatsuccess
intreatingpatientsnotonlyforpain,
but other conditions, such as high
bloodpressure,digestiveand respi-
ratory ailments, allergies, insomnia,
depressionandinfertility.
Doktorman said that everyone
respondsdifferentlytoacupuncture
treatment. “I try to get a quick
response,butIneverpromiseany-
onethattheywillgetbetterinjust
onevisit,”shesaid.“Iusuallyrec-
ommend five to seven treatments
beforedecidingifithelpsyou.”
To learn more about acupunc-
ture, you can call Doktorman at
973-778-0013,orvisitherWebsite
at:www.pulseacupuncture.com.
HALOTHERAPY:From the Salt Mines to Clifton
If you have ever noticed how
clear-headedyou feelafterbreath-
inginthesaltyairafteradayatthe
shore,youmaywanttocheckouta
newbusiness that recently opened
inthecity’sAllwoodsection.
TheSaltCavernat654Allwood
Rd. brings to Clifton salt therapy,
alsoknownashalotherapyfromthe
Greekword for salt, halos. It is a
drug-free, non-invasive treatment
for respiratory ailments and other
health conditions that has been
used in many Eastern European
countriessincethe19thcentury.
Thebenefitsofsalttherapywere
first described in themid-1800s by
Polish physician Dr. Feliks
Baczkowski,whowasthecountry’s
authorityforoccupationalhealth.
Dr. Baczkowski noted that
unlikecoalminers,whofrequently
suffered from serious lung and
bronchial disorders, those who
workedinsaltminesrarelyhadres-
piratory ailments and were, in
manycases,healthierthantheaver-
agecitizen.Heoften tookpatients
with breathing problems into the
saltminesfortherapy.
Salt therapyhasbecomeastan-
dard treatment in spas across
Europeandhasbecomepopularin
Israelaswell.
InRussia,salttherapychambers
arecertifiedasmedicaldevicesand
many hospitals are opening salt
therapyrooms.
EvaDunai,who ownsTheSalt
Cavernwithherhusband,William,
saidthattheyhadbeenresearching
the concept of salt therapy for
about five years before opening
theirbusinesslastmonth.Theyhad
the assistance of a friend from
Canada who is an expert in the
designofsalttherapyrooms.
Dunai, who was trained as a
nurse in her nativeHungary,
Eva Dunai at The Salt Cavern
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 50
said she has always been a firm believer in natural
healththerapies.
She first got the idea for the business when a
Hungarian friend came to visit and brought with her
magazinesfromtheirhomelandwitharticlesaboutthe
increasing popularity of salt therapy centers across
Europe. In fact, she said that inmany large cities in
Hungary,thegovernmenthasinstalledminisaltrooms
inmunicipalbuildingsforfreeusebycitizens.
Itisonlyrecentlythattheconceptofsalttherapyor
halotherapy has been catching on in NorthAmerica.
According to Dunai, The Salt Cavern is one of only
ninehalotherapycentersintheUnitedStates.
Thewalls in the salt room atThe SaltCavern are
covered in three layers of two different grains of sea
saltandtheflooriscoveredwithrocksalt.Himalayan
saltlampsadornseveralsmalltablesaroundtheroom,
givingoffapleasingglow.
The room can accommodate up to 10 patients at
time, as they sit in comfortable zero-gravity lounge
chairs. Stylish partitions separate the room into three
sectionstominimizedistractionandprovideanatmos-
phereofsemi-privacy.
Asthe45-minutetherapysessionbegins, thelights
aredimmedandsoft,soothingmusicispipedintothe
room.Iftheyprefer,patientsmaybringtheirownMP3
playersorborrowonefromtheowners,whichisdown-
loadedwithmeditationmessages.
A dry mist of Himalayan salt is released into the
room throughout the session. The salt particles have
natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and,
when breathed in, can prevent the development of
inflammationinthelungsandbronchialpassages.The
treatment also helps to thin the build-up of mucus,
improvinglungfunctionandopeningupthebreathing
passages.
In addition to respiratory disorders, salt therapy has
beenknowntohelpwithsinusitisandothernasalprob-
lems,earinfectionsandskinconditionssuchaspsoriasis.
Childrenand infantsmaybenefit fromsalt therapy
evenmorequicklythanadults,andDunaisaidshewill
workwith parents to provide a safe and comfortable
environmentfortheirchildren.
Among the first patients at The Salt Cavern was
MicheleCecere,principalofnearbySchool9,whosaid
she went for the therapy to help ease the lingering
symptomsofbronchitis.
“Ilovedit,”shesaid.“Mycoughloosenedandmy
sinusesclearedrightup.ItfeltlikeIhadjustcomeoff
thebeach.Ievennoticedthatmyskinlookedbetter.”
Cecere enjoyed the treatment so much that she
broughtherhusbandwithher toa secondsession the
nextday.
LocalresidentLisaBjorkfelt,whosuffersfrommild
asthma,hadasimilarreactiontoherfirstsession.
“My breathing was noticeably better and I felt
great,” she said. “Iwasn’t expecting toget relief that
quickly,butIwaspleasantlysurprised.”
Bjorkfelt liveswithinwalkingdistanceofTheSalt
Cavern and has been back for several additional ses-
sions.Sheplanstogoforweeklyfortreatments,espe-
cially during thewintermonths,when her symptoms
arethemosttroublesome.
Both Cecere and Bjorkfelt also commented that,
aside from the relief from their respiratory problems,
the salt therapy sessionswere also very calming and
relaxing,which they considered to be another impor-
tantbenefit.
PricesfortherapysessionsatTheSaltCavernstartat
$30 for children and senior citizens, to $50 for other
adults.Multiplesessiondiscountsareavailable.
YoucanlearnmoreaboutsalttherapyandTheSalt
CavernbyloggingontoDunai’sWebsiteat:www.the-
saltcavern.com,orcall973-928-2229.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 51
L ocated on the campus ofSt. Joseph’s Hospital andRegional Medical Center
in Paterson, MedicalMissions for
Children (MMC) is a non-profit
organizationthatfocuseson“trans-
ferring medical knowledge from
thosewhohaveittothosewhoneed
it using the latest in communica-
tionstechnology.”
MMC works with pediatricians
in the US and in over 100 other
countries to help save the lives of
hundreds of sick children each
week by providing the medical
resources needed to assist physi-
cians who are unable to properly
diagnoseandconsequentlytreatone
ormoreoftheirpatients.
Medical Missions for Children
was co-founded in 1999 by Frank
andPegBradywith the assistance
of funds and partnerships with
World Bank, the United Nations
and the U.S. Agency for
InternationalDevelopment.
The success of the program is
duetobothhardworkandthegen-
erosityofothers.
In 2001, Polycom, a leading
videoconferencing technology
company,sponsoredacontestwith
the purpose of finding the most
interestinganduniqueuseofvideo
conferencing equipment. This led
toapartnershipwithMMCthathas
resulted in the donation of more
than four million dollars worth of
telemedicineequipmenttolinkhos-
pitalsoverseastoU.S.healthfacili-
ties.
Intelsat,theworld’slargestsatel-
liteserviceprovider,has translated
into thedonationof satellite trans-
mission time that allows MMC to
broadcastmedicalprogrammingon
the MMC Medical Broadcasting
Channel-MBC.
Prior to the founding of the
organization, Frank Brady was an
executive for the General Electric
of France. However, his health
broughtaboutanearlyretirement—
andachanceforanewcalling.
As a child,Frank suffered from
spinal meningitis and benefited
from one of the first penicillin
injections.Hismotherstressedthat
the life threatening illness was an
omen fromGod—Frankneeded to
dosomethingspecialwithhislife.
He decided thatmeant ensuring
thatyoungchildreneverywherehad
accesstofirstratemedicalcare.
The first child at MMC was
Jordano,ayoungboyfromPanama
whowas bornwith a cranial
M E D I C I N E
M I R A C L E S
MMC’s Goal:“Restoring hope through technology”
By Chrissie Cluney
&
MMC founders Frank and Peg Brady with an unidentified boy.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 52
deformity.Thislefthimwithmild
retardation, one eye, and difficulty
inswallowing.Healsohadashunt
placedinhisbrainatbirth.
The Brady’s welcomed Jordano
and his mother into their home,
wheretheystayedfor18monthsas
herecoveredfromsurgeries.
Thefirstwasa10-houroperation
to change the shape of Jordano's
skull and create an eye socket. In
thefollowingoperation,areconfig-
ured jaw was added to allow
Jordanoagreaterabilitytochew.
Today,MMCoffersvideoconfer-
encediagnosisandtreatmentconsul-
tationsbetween650to700USpedi-
atricspecialistsandsubspecialistsand
pediatricians in over 100 countries
around theworld.MMCalsomain-
tains theVideoLibraryofMedicine
(GVLM)whichcontainsover5,000
hoursofmedical symposiawhich is
accessible worldwide via Satellite
and the Internet on the Medical
BroadcastingChannel.
Through generous partnerships
forgedwithSt.Joseph’sChildren’s
Hospital,Panasonic and theHenry
Niles Foundation, the MMC-
Panasonic HDTV studio was built
tohelpcreatemedicalvideocontent
atthefacilities.
WhennotinuseforMMC’smis-
sion,thebrandnewstudioismade
available to areaproductions com-
panies,advertisingagenciesandTV
producers.Itistheproductionhome
Caucus Education Corporation
“One on One” and “NJ Capitol
Report”withSteveAdubato.
The state of the art “floating”
studio is vibration free, sound
proof and is one of the few com-
pletely digital HD studios in the
area.Allproceedsderivedfromthe
studio go to help fund a worthy
cause and charity. For further
information about the studio, you
can take a virtual tour at: mmc-
worldwide.com/hdstudio or con-
tactanMMCrepresentativedirect-
lyat973-754-4960.
Another MMC project is the
Giggles Children’s Theater at St.
Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in
Paterson,whichtheBrady’sfound-
edaftervisitingasimilarfacilityin
Madrid,Spain.
For those children who are
restricted to their beds, Giggles
Theater offer free shows that are
broadcast and rebroadcasted over
thehospital’sclosedcircuitTVsys-
tem.Tovolunteerasaperformer,to
makeafinancialcontributionor to
donate toys, please call Giggles
Director Marie Caliendo at 973-
754-4623
It is Frank Brady’s dream that
MMC will “go on helping people
foratleast50yearsafterPegandI
are gone.” To make a tax exempt
charitable contribution to Medical
Missions for Children please con-
tact John Riehl at jriehl@mmis-
sions.org,call973-754-4960,orlog
ontowww.mmissions.org.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 53
By Joe Hawrylko
Fate. Destiny. Divine inter-vention. Call it what you
will, but Joe Kolodziej is
sure that a factor other than luck
prevented him from dying in a
workplace mishap last year.
“Things don’t happen to us, they
happen for us,” he explained. “I
was in an explosion and it could
have killed me. It could have
killed me, but it didn’t. The real
lesson isn’t what should I learn
from this. It’s what will I bring to
the world from this experience.”
It was April 9, 2010, a normal day
by all accounts. Kolodziej was
working on the loading dock at his
family’s Athenia business,
Conveyor by North American. A
delivery truck containing canisters
of odorless acetylene pulled into the
Huron Ave. building as expected.
However, neither Kolodziej or
the two drivers noticed a leaking
can in the rear until a fireball spit
out from the nearby furnace.
The resulting explosion was
massive, creating a deafening
crack that vibrated windows blocks
away. Kolodziej, wearing shorts
and a t-shirt, suffered the worst of
the group, with burns over his
unprotected arms and legs.
M E D I C I N E
M I R A C L E S&
SpiritualityCouncilman Joe Kolodziej’s brush with death
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 54
“That night, they put me into
ICU and no one’s really telling me
the severity of what happened,”
recalled Kolodziej, who was treat-
ed at The Burn Center at St.
Barnabas Hospital in Livingston.
“I suppose that optimism is a great
medicine. By Sunday, I hurt so bad
that I realized that I wasn’t going
home.”
Kolodziej’s wife, Amie, was on
hand shortly after the accident to
gather information from doctors.
“My wife said to me, whether
you realize it or not, you keeping a
sense of humor helped me in terms
of not panicking,” he recalled. “I
kept on saying how I was extra
crunchy now or how I like my
chicken crispy.”
Kolodziej’s optimism also
masked any fears he had going in.
“Prior to that, a chipped tooth is the
worst I’ve had in my life,” he laughed.
“Maybe stitches here or there.”
The wounds from the accident
were more severe than Kolodziej
had originally assumed.
The extent of the damage ranged
from second degree burns—super-
ficial and relatively minor—to
fourth degree, which are deep, pen-
etrating burns that harm muscle or
even bone.
Doctors determined that the
explosion left Kolodziej with burns
over 25 percent of his body.
Anything over 15 percent is consid-
ered life threatening because of the
extent of the trauma and the likeli-
hood for infections and complica-
tions.
The seared skin looses its elas-
ticity, and the slightest movement
can tear open freshly healed
wounds. In third and fourth degree
burns, the flesh becomes necrotic,
requiring agonizing daily baths in
which a nurse scrubs away the rot-
ted skin.
“One of the best definitions of
spirituality that I’ve heard is that
religion is for people who don’t
want to go to hell and spirituality is
for people who have been to hell
and don’t want to go back,”
explained the Councilman.
“Certainly 30 days in a hospital
getting scrubbed daily, even with
morphine, hurt beyond your worst
ideas. It was a hell and back situa-
tion for sure. It was especially dif-
ficult for me because the morphine
they gave me made me sick.”
The side effects from the power-
ful painkiller also made it extreme-
ly difficult to consume the more
than 3,000 calories he needed each
day to allow his skin grafts to grow.
But despite having a quarter of
his body covered in painful burns,
Kolodziej’s upbeat, optimistic
demeanor never waivered. It was
his faith that gave him the power to
tolerate the unbearable pain, to try
walking a few extra steps in thera-
py when his body was begging for
a break.
“I think people who have that
spirituality understand the bigger
picture,” explained Kolodziej,
whose family attends St. John
Kanty RC Church. “They’re able
to laugh at themselves. Humor is
one of the greatest medicines you’ll
take in the world. It creates that
positive attitude and from that pos-
itive mindset comes positive
results.”
That mentality proved to be
most useful during physical thera-
py, which began only after the
Joe and Amie Kolodziej were wed on Nov. 22, 2008.
wounds had healed sufficiently for
active movement.
“This big guy, Roy Bond, came
to help me one day, he’s been there
for years... he told me we were
going to walk to the tank room and
he said the sooner you try to walk,
the easier it’s going to be later,”
recalled Kolodziej. “We get half
way down the hallway and I realize
I’ve got a Vulcan death grip on the
guy.”
Over the course of his month
long stay, Kolodziej worked with
Roy, gradually building up his
strength to prepare his for dis-
charge. Due to the location and
the extent of his injuries,
Kolodziej’s progress was slow, but
the Councilman was constantly
challenged by his therapist to put
in a little more effort each day.
“He’s one of the sweetest men
you could ever meet. He’s been
there since the Seton Hall fires,”
said Kolodziej. “The more success
I had there, the more motivated I
was. It was hard. It would be like,
ok, you fell back two steps but
today we took three. That’s a net
gain of one step. It was all small
victories.”
Roy was just one of the many
people who had an impact on
Kolodziej during his recovery. The
outpouring of support came from
everywhere: hospital staff, family,
friends and complete strangers.
“Besides the spiritually point of
view, what gets you through this is
love,” he said. “My wife was there
every day. She’d practically fall
asleep next to my bed and would
stay there until they kicked her out
to go home.”
“Without question, the most
important part of surviving an
injury like this is love. It simply
boils down to love,” continued
Kolodziej. “People close to me,
my family and my friends, they
were praying and visiting every
day. But I also got cards from peo-
ple who I didn’t even know saying
you’re in my prayers or here’s my
mass card, we’re thinking of you.
I’m firmly believe that I’m here
today because of that.”
Those kind gestures were not
forgotten when Kolodziej left the
hospital in May of last year. The
Councilman, who went on to win
his seat in the 2010 election just
weeks after being discharged, now
makes use of his political acumen
and influence as a member of the
Advisory Board for the St.
Barnabas Burn Foundation.
“(Dr. Hani Mansour) said that all
the people that come in complain
about how much it hurts, but every
time I see you, you have a smile on
your face, you’re asking how nurs-
es are doing, you’re interested in
the nurse’s daughter who is going
back to college,” recalled
Kolodziej, who was invited by his
doctor.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 55
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 56
Though he had absolutely no
medical background, Kolodziej was
more than willing to help.
Ultimately, the Councilman’s expe-
rience in politics proved to be vital in
coordinating fundraising efforts for
equipment not in the hospital’s
budget and raising awareness in the
community.
“I saw it as these guys saved my
life, how do I say no?” explained
Kolodziej. “He’s saying we can use
you, and I’m saying I don’t think you
can, but I’m going to come in and
help any way I can because I owe
that to you and I’ve found the work
very rewarding since then.”
The Councilman is also involved
with the burn support group, which
helped him cope during those first
few uncertain weeks after the acci-
dent. Kolodziej helps survivors pre-
pare for the many lifestyle changes
after a serious burn.
Kolodziej himself still has a
ways to go for recovery. Since the
new flesh from the skin graft is still
coming in, he wears spandex-like
compression wraps to keep it even.
Kolodziej still attends physical
therapy regularly and has yet to
return to work.
But these are all just minor incon-
veniences—a fair trade off to get out
of the hospital.
“I just could not wait to get home
and lay down in my own bed next to
my wife,” he recalled. “That first
night was absolutely glorifying
despite the fact that I needed a
Percocet just to fall asleep. Just
absolutely glorious.”
And with hard work and determi-
nation, Kolodziej is inching closer to
his goal each day.
“I used to not be able to stand for
more than 30 seconds in the same
spot without my legs screaming in
pain,” he added. “Now I can sit in
front of a sink and wash dishes for
an hour before I experience the
same pain.”
And though his tale may seem
like a religious awakening of sorts,
Kolodziej said it is simply a reaf-
firmation of beliefs he’s held his
entire life.
“I think that it ultimately helps
you with gratitude,” he said. “Rather
than lying in a hospital bed saying
why me, I’m lying on a hospital bed
saying thank you for sparing me.”
“I don’t see any major changes
in what I believe in. I was raised
Catholic, was an altar boy and the
whole nine yards,” continued
Kolodziej. “I’ve always had a solid
relationship with God. But spiritu-
al people, they have a greater
capacity for freezing the moment,
smelling the flower and realizing
the whole beauty of the rose.”
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 57
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March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 58
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March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 59
COLOR
Learn to Swim in Time for SummerAt the Boys and Girls Club of Clifton
Bonded by a sense oftradition, love of music
and family ties, the Porter
Family of Clifton marches on.
Whether it’s a Gaelic function
or parade, the Porters are there
with bagpipes and drums in
hand.
“It’s something we do togeth-
er,” said Mike Porter Sr. “I started
playing the bagpipes about 35
years ago and my three sons
became interested. It takes seven
years to make a piper and it’s been
great all those years.”
Porter along with his three sons,
Keith, Mike Jr. and Scott (all CHS
graduates) belong to the Kearny
Caledonian Pipe Band.
When daughter Dana married
James Messineo, the Porters
recruited him for the band. Dana
danced with the Mary Stewart
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 60
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St. Patrick’s DayGuide
Celebrate Thursday, March 17
Mike Porter Jr. from a photo taken atthe July 1, 2006 City Council swear-ing in ceremony.
Bonded by a sense oftradition, love of music
and family ties, the Porter
Family of Clifton marches on.
Whether it’s a Gaelic function
or parade, the Porters are there
with bagpipes and drums in
hand.
“It’s something we do togeth-
er,” said Mike Porter Sr. “I started
playing the bagpipes about 35
years ago and my three sons
became interested. It takes seven
years to make a piper and it’s been
great all those years.”
Porter along with his three sons,
Keith, Mike Jr. and Scott (all CHS
graduates) belong to the Kearny
Caledonian Pipe Band.
When daughter Dana married
James Messineo, the Porters
recruited him for the band. Dana
danced with the Mary Stewart
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 61
Dancers, a traditional Scottish
dance group also based in Kearny.
“James is Italian, but once he
married my daughter, he had no
choice but to join us. It’s either
sink or swim. He’s now a mainstay
and we’re grateful,” Porter said.
The Porters have marched in the
New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade,
the city’s 75th Anniversary Parade
and other civic dedications. Of
course, weddings, funerals and
other personal appearances keep
the family busy performing an
array of Gaelic songs.
Porter owns and operates the
Allwood Funeral Home. His par-
ents, Harold and Veronica, started
the business in the 50s.
“The nature of our business is
tough,” he said. “Playing the pipes
and performing allows you to let
off a little steam. It’s an outlet, but
it’s something that has bonded our
family.”
“Our family has Scottish back-
ground, but on St. Patrick’s Day,
everyone is Irish. You have to
know history because Scots and
Irish are basically kissing cousins.”
A beginning piper can expect
pitfalls.
Coordinating the three basic
components—walking, blowing
into the mouthpiece and playing the
nine melodic notes—usually frus-
trates a novice, said Porter.
“Once you get the knack of it,
it’s no great feat. I started playing
the pipes out of fascination. I
always wondered how my wife
Joyce lived through those early
days. There were a few sour notes,
but she became immune to it.”
“The pipes are unique because
unlike a brass instrument, where
you have the sheet music in front of
you, pipers must memorize each
song. That in itself is a challenge,”
he said.
Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day at theseestablishments which aremembers of the CliftonLicensed Beverage Association.
Bliss Lounge955 Allwood Rd201-773-2110
Con Sabor A Peru109 Lakeview Avenue(973) 340-0008
Dingbatz620 Van Houten Avenue973-471-1145
Dingo's Den615 Van Houten Ave973-471-7767
Fratelli Rossi's Tavern Inc254 Dayton Ave973-546-9843
Grande Saloon940 Van Houten Ave973-472-5207
Pub 46 Bar & Grill1081 Route 46 E973-473-8184
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 62
MUSTANG H PS HISTORYMustangs and Gators—an unlikely connection
By Joe Hawrylko
Former Clifton hoops coach John Kostisin
tends to gets a little nostalgic when he
watches Florida University basketball.
That’s because senior Gator star Chandler
Parsons, a lanky, 6’10’ forward with NBA tal-
ent, is the grandson of Don Parsons, a former
star at CHS and one of Kostisin’s Mustang idols
as a youngster growing up in Botany Village in
the 1940s.
“I remember that, at that time, almost all of the
basketball players were from Botany,” recalled
Kostisin. “The neighborhood was one
of the few places where one could find
an organized game at a playground.”
“The coach was a basketball director
at the park and Domiano’s was the place
to be in the winter because you could go
there to use the indoor courts for a nickel
an hour,” added Kostisin, a CHS 1949
graduate who would later coach at
Clifton in 1972, succeeding his high
school coach, Emil Bednarcik. “I can
Above in the white is Chandler Parsons, a senior forward for the Florida University Gators. Atright is his grandfather Don Parsons, a 1946 CHS graduate who went on to star at Rutgers.Though he grew up in Florida, Chandler still relies on the old Mustang for advice and guidance.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 63
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name like 40 basketball players from
the area of the top of my head.”
Parsons was a few years older
than Kostisin, though he’d
sometimes play with older boys.
Because of a lack of neighborhood
courts, the group held a monopoly on
playing time.
“None of the younger kids could
get on to play. We had that court for
about 10 years,” he said. “There was
no where for them to play.”
Once the boys from Botany hit
high school, there was a similar
effect.
Under the tutelage of coach Emil
Bednarcik, talent from the east end of
town helped fuel a string of some of
the greatest Mustang roundball
squads in the history of the school.
After Coach Bednarcik arrived in
1944, the team went 18-2 and then
22-1 the next two seaons, featuring
a squad of almost entirely with
Botany section guys.
Though he was a very good player
in his own right, Kostisin said
that the older Mustangs were so
dominant that most athletes didn’t
play on Varsity until becoming an
upper classmen.
“That was the best team that CHS
ever had,” Parsons said of the 22-1
club. The former Cliftonite now
resides in Florida. “We beat the crap
out of Kearny. We went down to
Elizabeth and beat Thomas Jefferson
by 10 points on their own court.
Paterson Eastside, I almost felt bad
for them. We beat them four times
that year: Twice in the regular season,
once in the Jamboree and once in the
district playoffs.”
“I remember one game against
Emerson High School, I was up
against a big guy and he was making
me look pretty bad,” laughed
Parsons. “After halftime, I’m
coming back onto the court and to
my side, there’s some guy yelling in
my ear. It was Coach Greco, the
football coach, screaming, ‘You gotta
fight, fight, FIGHT!”
Despite winning 22 games
straight, the team was upset in the
State semis by Newark Central.
However, Parson’s basketball story
did not end in Clifton. Because
coach Bednarcik put such an equal
emphasis on athleticism and
academics, he produced well
rounded students with bright college
prospects.
“With Emil, when you hear
people talk about what teacher you
remember most and who had the
most influence on you, Hal (Corizzi),
Ray (Van Cleef) and I would all say
Emil,” said Parsons. “We stayed in
touch with him until the day he died.
He was a terrific guy. He always
focused on the fundamentals, in
basketball and in life.”
Those three stars from the 1946
squad each took separate paths that
eventually led to the trio playing for
Rutgers in the 1948 season. Back
home, Kostisin and the other
members of the Mustangs basketball
squad kept close tabs on their older
pals.
“Lou Poles saw a game where
Jerry Polatini, who played at Colgate,
played against the Rutgers guys,” he
recalled. “There were four Clifton
guys on the court at the same time in
one game.”
Bednarcik was also extremely
supportive of his alumni.
“He convinced the Board of
Education to send us down to
Rutgers to watch some games,”
recalled Kostisin. “One of the things
that people forget about Bednarcik is
that he coached for about 12 years for
no money. He was a great guy and he
loved seeing his boys do well.”
Parsons did quite well at Rutgers
alright. The 1946 CHS graduate
amassed more than 1,100 points in
his Scarlet Knight career, averaging
almost 11 points per game. Tall and
lanky, the former Mustang best
known for his passing and
rebounding prowess.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 64
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It’s the same talents that have
allowed Chandler Parsons to become
one of the elite talents in the NCAA.
Though he was injured at the time of
print, he still ranks near the tops of
the SEC Conference leaderboard for
assists and offensive rebounds.
“He’s nearly 6’10 and grew up as
a point guard,” added Kostisin.
“When they played LSU, Dick Vitale
was raving about him. Years ago,
there were maybe three other 6’10
players in the whole league.”
The immense pride shown by
Kostisin is dwarfed by Chandler’s
grandfather.
“He’s a real good kid too and a
decent student. We’re a basketball
family. I’ve never seen a family
more basketball orientated as us,”
said the elder Parsons. “Sports keeps
the family together and keeps the
kids out of trouble in my estimation.”
And while Chandler may have a
future as a pro, he won’t be the first
in the family to be courted by the
NBA. After Don Parson’s Rutgers
career came to a close, he was drafted
in the sixth round of the 1950 Draft
by the New York Knicks.
“I met Joe Lapchick, the coach,
and I met the general manager. They
offered me a contract for $3,500,
which I still have,” recalled Parsons,
who instead chose to work for
Bendix, an aerospace company in
Teterboro. He pursued his basketball
dream with the Paterson Crescents of
the American League. That folded
after a year and Parsons then played
for eight years with the Martin
Bombers Industrial League.
And though it’s been years since
he’s last played, some older
Mustangs still might get a little
nostalgic watching Parson’s Gator
grandson this March.
Chandler Parsons, with his grandfather, Don, a 1946 Clifton High graduate andformer standout on the hardwood.
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March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 65
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 66
The Garden State Opera of Cliftonwill present the Finale of Act I of LaBoheme (Rodolfo and Mimi Duet)
by Giacomo Puccini and LaCambiale De Matrimonio by
Gioacchino Rossini on April 2 at 8
pm at the Allwood Community
Church in Clifton. Produced by
Francesco Santelli, both acts will
also be staged at the San Giuseppe
Santa Croce Camerina Society Hall
in Hawthorne on April 9 at 8 pm.
Call 973-928-1774 for info or details
at gardenstateopera.homestead.com.
Blue State Productions presents
the musical Godspell on various
dates in April at St. Peter’s
Episcopal Church, 380 Clifton Ave.,
Clifton. The show is based upon the
Gospel of St. Matthew and told
through a series of parables, with
some consideration from the Gospel
of St. Luke, including the climax
with the passion of Christ. For
detaisl call 973-607-1924 or email
The 7th Annual Passaic CountyFilm Festival is April 16 at the
Fabian 8 Cinema in Center City
Mall in historic downtown Paterson.
Film projects created by students
and independent filmmakers who
live, attend school, or work in
Passaic County will be screened at 1
pm. The public is invited to this free
event. There is free parking in the
adjacent lot. Videos and films are
rated “G.” For details and info, go
to www.passaiccountynj.org/film.
Waterworks (sample above) is an art exhibit and sale of work at the Clifton ArtsCenter by the Clifton Association of Artists. The exhibit opens on March 9, witha reception open to the public on March 12, from 1pm-4pm. Admission is $3 fornon-members. Hours and info at www.cliftonnj.org.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 67
COLORThe Theater League of Clifton, in
cooperation with ATC Studios, is
holding auditions for Narnia, The
Musical, based on The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S.
Lewis. Directed by Kathleen
Kellaigh, the cast includes singing,
non-singing and movement roles for
a variety of ages; for a list go to
www.theaterleagueofclifton.com.
Auditions will be held on March 12,
3 to 7 pm and March 14, 7 to 10 pm
at ATC Studios, 68 Union Ave.
Performance dates are May 20, 21
and 22 and 27, 28 and 29 at School 3
on Washington Ave.
The Hamilton House Museum, at
971 Valley Rd., will resume its
Sunday tours on March 6 at 2 pm.
The restored Dutch Farmhouse is
featured in Victorian, Federal and
Early American periods. Suggested
donation is $3 per person. For more
details and other times, call the
Museum at 973-744-5707.
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March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 68
School 16 on Grove St. will hold
its annual Tricky Tray on March 10
at the Valley Regency. Doors open
at 6 pm and tickets, which are $45,
include buffet and a sheet of
general prize tickets. For more
info, call 973-489-8323.
BYOB for WWMS: The Woodrow
Wilson Middle School Tricky Tray
fundraiser is March 11 at the Boys
and Girls Club of Clifton. Doors
open 6pm, tickets are $10 and atten-
dees can bring their own refresh-
ments. No children under 18
allowed. For tickets, call Karen
Harris at 973-744-6855.
SS Cyril & Methodius Church,218 Ackerman Ave., will host its
annual fish and chip dinner on
March 23 at 5:30 pm. Tickets are
$15 and include cake and coffee.
Takeout available. For info, call
973-772-3448 or 973-772-8806.
Clifton Little League GirlsSoftball is registering girls aged 5-
16 at the Main Memorial Field
House on March 12 and March 19
from 10 am to 2 pm. This is a
citywide league formed from a
merger of the Clifton American and
Clifton National programs. Fee is
$65; for info call 973-470-5958.
CCMS 6th Annual Locks of LoveCutathon is May 16 at Christopher
Columbus Middle School. Anyone
with at least 10 inches of hair can
sign on and have their hair cut at no
charge by stylists from Salon Ilona.
The sheered locks will then be
donated to a charity which creates
wigs for individuals with cancer.
“We’re hoping to exceed last year’s
donation of 1,100 inches,” said
CCMS math teacher and volunteer
coordinater Kim Dreher. For
details, call Dreher at 973-769-0500
or email [email protected].
St. Andrew RC Church, 400 Mt.
Prospect Ave., hosts a blood drive on
March 20, from 8 am to 1 pm. Walk-
ins are welcomed but an
appointment will insure that you will
not wait. Call Fr. Richard Rusconi
at 973-779-6873 to donate blood.
Come to Modell’s in Styretowneand choose Clifton Recreationwhen you make a purchase on
March 5-7 and the Rec Dept. will
receive a donation of 10% and you
will receive 10% off your total pur-
chase. Call 973-470-5958.
The Rosary Society of St. Paul’sR.C. Church is now in its 91st year
and membership is open to all. In
addition to praying together at the
Washington Ave. church, the group
offers Catholic women a special life-
long bond and pursues various char-
itable endeavors. To join, call Marge
Schweighardt at 973-478-2046.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 69
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The CHS 2011 Prom FashionShow is April 3, noon, on the stage
of the JFK Auditorium. The annual
event is a fundraiser in which seniors
participating or attending the event
will receive credit towards their
Project Graduation ticket.
Mustang seniors are invited to
volunteer as models as Deluxe
Formal Wear of Clifton will provide
the latest trends in tuxedos for men
while the young women will show-
case prom dresses provided by
CoCo’s Chateau of Wayne. Tickets
are $5 at the door.
“We are currently looking for
hair salons in the Clifton area to
volunteer their services the morn-
ing of the event to style the female
models,” said Maryann Cornett
Project Graduation chair. “As
always, we also ask for monetary
donation to help underwrite the
cost of this annual event.”
On graduation eve, CHS students
are invited to participate in Project
Graduation. The annual event shut-
tles hundreds of our graduates to a
nearby resort where they can party
all night in a safe, alcohol and drug
free environment. Next morning,
the kids are bussed back to CHS...
and life goes on after graduation...
To support the cause, or info, call
Maryann Cornett at 973-779-5678.
The Late Show will rock the St. Andrew HSA 2nd Annual St. Patrick’s DayDinner Dance in the church hall, 400 Mt. Prospect Ave., on March 12, startingat 6 pm. In addition to The Late Show (from left, Mike Hoffman, guitar andvocals, Jean Hoffman Cummings, vocals, Jim Hoffman, drummer, and Ray
Hoffman on keyboard), Irish Dancer Brittany Wolf will perform. Tickets, whichinclude a corned beef and cabbage dinner, are $30. For info, call 973-473-3711.
CLIFTON HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS
SOUTH PACIFIC
Top row: RachelGutierrez, Allison Green,Mariel Vazquez, CelesteDube, Jennie Sekanics,Yuani Algarin, MiSookMendonca, YessaretCardenas. Lower row: Justin Noll,Bhavin Shah, MikeSconzo, Bobby Lupo.
Top row: Shreya Patel,Christine Lazcano, DianaMcKenna, BekaHafelfinger, AdamMadrigal, Jon Salen.Lower row: Peter Adamo,Bobby Kozielec, MatthewLouie
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 70
From left: AmandaZaccone, Mario Godoy,
Choreographer LoisManzella-Marchitto,Producer Elizabeth
Eisenmenger, Mike Sunbury, Brian Bender,
Gabby Cabacab
MARCH 18, 19, 20, 2011
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 71
A s she prepares to head offto college, CHS Student of
the Month Jessica Kunadia
is confident that she’ll enter the next
phase of her life armed with plenty
of experience.
“I tried to dabble in a little bit of
everything,” she said. “I love
science and math just as much as I
love humanities.”
Kunadia is diverse in her
interests. She challenges herself
academically in a variety of
subjects. She’s a competitive
dancer, having trained since age 4.
She also volunteers and is involved
with the CHS tennis team, where
she is a co-captain.
“I started in classical and in the
7th grade I joined RA Dance
Academy and began performing,”
she recalled. The Academy
specializes in Indian performance,
and top dancers were featured in the
86th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day
Parade.
“It’s influenced by Bollywood
and it’s fused with a lot of other
styles,” said Kunadia, who plans to
travel to India for the first time in
nearly half a decade this summer.
“We had our big finale in front of
Herald Square.”
Kunadia said she plans to continue
dancing while in college, but it will
take a back seat to academics. The
Student of the Month has lofty
expectations she’s set for herself.
She intends to study biology at
school, with the intention of one day
entering the medical field.
Kunadia has applied to Columbia,
Princeton, UPenn, and Boston
College. She hopes her diverse body
of work and stellar grades (she’s
currently ranked third in the class)
have her Ivy bound. Kunadia said
that the friendly rivalry she has with
her peers at CHS has spurred her to
be a better student and individual.
“[The Top 10 students], we’re all
friends. It’s a healthy competition,”
she said.
“My parents always encourage
me too,” Kunadia continued. “That
kind of stuff is important, but you
can’t get anywhere if you’re not self
motivated too. But when you find
people with the same goals and
ambitions, it’s easy to challenge each
other to do better.
“The ER doctors are really nice,”
she said. “They’d sometimes let me
observe patients. It’s a good way to
get into the field.”
Kunadia was also selected to
attent the National Youth Forum on
Medicine in 2010, which was held in
Boston. The two week program
increased her interest in the field.
In a year when most of her peers
lighten the workload up, she’s taking
AP biology, chemistry, calculus and
English. Kunadia is also involved
with the Botany Club, Asian Club
and the Knights of Pythagoris, and
she is a volunteer tutor.
Kunadia is also a member of the
National Honor Society. “I want to
keep myself challenged,” she said of
the remainder of her senior year in
CHS. “I’m just trying to prepare
myself for college.”
CHS STUDENT OF THE MONTH By Joe Hawrylko
Jessica Kunadia
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 72
Family Super Bowl Party
Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011Hundreds of Cliftonites were on hand at the Boys &
Girls Club to watch the Green Bay Packers defeat the
Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 31-25 at Cowboys
Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game’s MVP was
Packer QB Aaron Rodgers, who had three touchdowns.
In Clifton, the MVPs were the volunteers, sponsors and
those who attended that made the 13th edition of this
alcohol, drug and gambling free event a success.
Clifton
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 73
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 74
• CASA—Clifton Against Substance Abuse
• Jim & Rita Haraka & Family• Rotary Club of Clifton• Optimist Club of Clifton• Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin
• Gift in memory of Florence, George H. Trinkle, Jr. & George H. Trinkle III
• Barbara Dougherty in memory of Henry Dougherty
• Clifton Police PBA Local 36• Clifton Firefighters FMBA Local 21
• Clifton Moose Lodge 657• St. Philip the Apostle Council 11671 Knights of Columbus
• JSK Landscaping/the Bassford Family
• Mayor, Council, City Manager & City Attorney
• Carlet, Garrison, Klein & Zaretsky
• Daniel and Suzannah Brown• Vito’s Towing• Theater League of Clifton• Clifton Merchant Magazine
Thanks to our sponsors, admissionwas a canned good which wasdonated to St. Peter’s Haven. The13th Clifton Family Super Bowl Partywas sponsored by...
Register now for July & AugSummer Camp!
Family Super Bowl Party
Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 75
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Proud to Represent CliftonAssemblyman Thomas P. Giblin1333 Broad St., Clifton, NJ 07013office: 973-779-3125www.assemblymangiblin.com
View The Giblin Report Thursday at 9 pm, Channel 76
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 76
Come see us and save on:
• Carpet
• Vinyl
• Linoleum
• Wood
• Cork
• Laminates
• Runners
• Refinishing
HONEST LOWPRICING!THE HOME OF SAVINGS SINCE 1927
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 77
You’re a Neighbor,Not a Number.
TomTobinAgency.com BillEljouzi.com
Realty Executives730 Broad St.973-766-8000
On Feb. 22, Realty Executives made theirmove across town official with a grandopening celebration. Pictured after theribbon cutting, from left, Vincent Federico,owner of a Realty Exec’s franchise in LittleFalls, Dan Norton, Manager of RealtyExec’s Wayne location and Roger Fields,Broker/Manager of the Clifton location. At center is Realty Exec Broker/AssociateBarbara Ann Stock.
Barilari’s Italian Restaurant755 Van Houten Ave.973-928-4500
Ken and Kim Barilari have opened theircasual storefront restaurant in Athenia.Open seven days a week, they serve lunchand dinner and offer daily chalkboard specials as well as a menu of standards.
Brother’s Quality Bakery of Allwood70 Market St.973-473-1467
Joe Putz, at right, who owned the AllwoodBakery for 22 years, returned to help theGencarelli family reopen the landmark
Allwood sweet shop. At the March 1 open-ing of Brother’s Quality Bakery of
Allwood, from left, Michael Gencarelli,Jamie Basile, Jackie and Thomas
Gencarelli, and Marianne Meinecke.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 78
BUSINESS OPENINGS
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 79
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 80
Julie Dominick......................3/1Meaghan Franko .................3/1Kathleen Pocoek ..................3/1Eric Sudhalter ......................3/1Kenzie Lord .........................3/3Valerie Godowsky................3/5Alice Paxton ........................3/5Carol Crudele......................3/6Ted Grzybowski...................3/6Pat Smith.............................3/8Victoria Crudele...................3/9Jenny Sichel.........................3/9Pamela Culque ..................3/10Tiffany Sabo ......................3/10Teddy Harsaghy.................3/11Eddie Gasior, Jr. ................3/12
Mike Pesaro ......................3/12Victor Berdecia ..................3/13Diego Hernandez ..............3/15Tyler Hughes......................3/15Elaine Sassine....................3/15Laura Lee ..........................3/15Suzanne Ciok....................3/19Janette Hughes ..................3/19Caitlin Lotorto ....................3/19Colleen Murray..................3/20Holly Sorenson ..................3/20Nenad Vuckovic ................3/20Monica Ahmed..................3/21George Andrikanich ..........3/22Elisabel Reyes....................3/24Carmen Rivera...................3/24
Kyle Hooyman...................3/24Michele Andrikanich ..........3/27Jennifer Mondelli................3/27Nicholas Surgent ...............3/27Muriel Curtin .....................3/28Francis Salonga.................3/31Paul McVeigh ....................3/31Chris Kolodziej ..................3/31
Grace Martin celebrates her 3rd birthday on March 5. Amy Lynn Philhower is 14 on March 7. Joe and Pat Torelli and family celebrate their 40th anniversary on March 6. Congratulations to Corey
and Michelle Genardi, celebrating their anniversary on March 28...their daughter Bianca Eda (below)is all smiles for her 5th birthday on March 2. Happy Birthday to Pat Hiller on March 22.
Birthdays & CelebrationsSend dates & [email protected]
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 81
1036We Ride for Those Who Have Died
$5 for a chance to
WIN A BIKE!
Supplied By
Worth over $500 • No monetary value. Option of male or female bicycle.
DRAWING TO BE HELD
AT POLICE UNITY TOURPASTA DINNER ON 4/10/11Contact Tom Hawrylko for details.
973-253-4400
Casey Hawrylko is 21 on March 2.
Layla Rahman is 21 on March 13.
March 2011 • Clifton Merchant 82
Dreams Home Realty, Inc.Dreams Home Realty, Inc.1301 Main Ave., Downtown Clifton • 973-772-6300
Call Yassin Abu Romi (Mike) 973-563-2672
Access DentalMahir Saleh, D.D.S. Khalid Attili, D.D.S.Suite 1A • Tel.: 973-340-9000
Hossam O. Elfarra, M.D., P.A.Gastroenterology & LiverDiseasesSuite 1B • Tel: 973-777-5778
Souhail Saba, M.D.Obstetrics & GynecologySuite 2A • Tel. 973-772-8878
Quality Advanced CareHealth & RehabilitationSuite 2B • Tel: 973-815-1159
Fayrouz PediatricsHisham Gadalla, MD,PediatricianSuite 2C • Tel: 973-928-3388
Family Health First, PAWilliam LaGrada MDJose E. Castaneda MDSuite 2D • 973-246-9154
The Center for SportsMedicine & PhysicalTherapySammy I. Masri, M.D.Suite 3A • Tel: 973-777-0934
Bakir Altai, MDVascular SurgerySuite 3C • 973-546-7600
Amal Al-Shrouf MDPulmonary MedicineMohmoud Aqel, MDInternal MedicineSuite 3D • 973-685-9922
1300 Main Medical Plaza...A Prescription for YourProfessional Office Needs
Join our growing list of ProfessionalsWe’ll design your space.....
Downtown Clifton’s PremierMedical/Professional Suites
DOWNTOWN
Angela M. Montague, Executive DirectorDowntown Clifton Economic Development Group, Inc.1119 Main Ave., Clifton, NJ 07011 Phone: 973-253-1455
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DOWNTOWNClifton
• 6 “Shopper’s-Free” Parking Lots
• Over 300 Businesses and Services
• Directory, Discount Coupons & more info at www.downtownclifton.com
Y O U R M A I N C H O I C E F O R A L L Y O U R S E R V I C E S & N E E D S
From wellness and nutrition to sick calls
and even surgery centers, Downtown
Clifton offers many different services in
the medical field.
The Downtown Clifton Business District
— Clifton’s Rising Star and your MAIN choice for all your services & needs —
is located along Main Ave. from the Passaic border to Piaget Ave.
Spring Into Health
Visit Downtown Clifton Economic Development Group on Facebook and become a fan!
Tomahawk Promotions
1288 main avenue
Clifton, nJ 07011
PRSRT STDUS Postage
PAIDPaTeRSon, nJPeRmIT no. 617