Mt Olive Life October 2019

Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 3

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Don’t Let Allergies Get The Best Of You This Season

don’t know about you, but I’m thinking spring cannot come soon enough… especially after the unexpected, late season, blizzards! Spring brings longer days, budding flowers, sunshine and warmer weather. Along with the beautiful flowers, spring also brings pollen and allergens! For some, these allergens can wreak havoc. If you’re someone who suffers from allergies, you might dread the spring season. Seasonal allergies can cause a multitude of nagging symptoms including: runny nose, itchy and/or red irritated eyes, stuffy nose/congestion, sneezing, scratchy throat and itchiness. If you suffer from any of the above, I’m here to tell you that there is a solution! Believe it or not, Acupuncture can help you to enjoy the spring again!

So, you might be asking how can Acupuncture help? Acupuncture relieves symptoms of allergies by diminishing the body’s inflammatory response, without the unwanted side effects. It helps to open nasal passages, reduces sinus pressure, calms itching, decreases throat pain,

coughing and sneezing.

Here’s the catch… it’s always best to begin treatment before the season begins. It is better to prevent symptoms then try to tackle them when they are in full effect.

In addition to Acupuncture treatment, you can help yourself at home with these simple tips: Flush out allergens with a Neti pot, keep windows closed to prevent al-

lergens from entering your home, try an air filter, vacuum and dust often to eliminate pollen in your home, eat local honey daily, take an omega-3 supplement, boost immunity by eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies and eliminate processed foods.

For more information on Acupuncture and Allergies call Mount Olive Acupuncture & Wellness 973-527-7978; www. mtoliveacupuncture.com.

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Page 4 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

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Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 5

Page 6 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

An Inside Look at Breast Cancer and Survivorship

F

By: Danielle Incognito or many in October, the pink ribbons come out. That theory rings true for Danielle Incognito, a writer for New View Media Group, who is a breast cancer survivor. Danielle approached the editorial staff about writing a personal story about her battle to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month. She shares her story below.

My name is Danielle Incognito. I am a mother, a wife, an Auntie, a daughter, a teacher, and a breast cancer survivor amongst many other things. I never allowed breast cancer to define me as a person, and much of that lesson I learned from my younger sister, Desiree, who was only 34 years old when she was diagnosed.

May 2012, just around my 37th birthday, was when I entered that “pink club” that younger women are now being called to join at a growing rate. US News reported that 11% of new breast cancers happen in women age 44 and younger. Under 40, the odds are lower at 7%. My sister and I couldn’t have hit the lottery with those odds? What is more surprising is that we didn’t carry the gene mutations most commonly associated with young breast cancer, mainly BRCAI, BRCA2, or TP53. The reason I know this is because I recently had a meeting with a geneticist at Sloan Kettering in Montville. I, my sister, and my father (who had prostate cancer last year) did not ever share any mutated gene. We are still one of those “scientific mysteries” that will continue to be studied.

Desiree saved my life. She was a 34 year old woman who was just beginning her new life as a widow with two small children (Mark had died of a massive heart attack at age 38). After a long year

Danielle and Family

of mourning, she picked herself up and decided to make a great life for her new family without Mark. She enrolled in a masters program for School Psychology, and she filled her days with school work while she immersed herself into her children’s activities with the help of our mother, father, brother, and me. We all took a turn and a role in her “new normal.”

The dreadful day came, when on Thanksgiving weekend at my parent’s cabin, Desiree felt a lump in her breast. She asked our mom to look at it. She and our mother were both in denial, so Desiree marched on to New Jersey and back to school the next day. She was so “bummed” that she had to lug her books into the local breast center “just to be safe.” She would have the lump looked at, and then she would get on with her day.

That day changed our lives forever. She had breast cancer.

Later, we would find out that she had stage IV metastatic breast cancer that has spread all through her lymph nodes and to a spot on her liver. Metastatic breast cancer is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Currently, it cannot be cured, but it can be managed for many years depending on many factors. At her initial appointment with her oncologist, she was given a 25% chance of living 5 years. She defied those odds as we knew she would. With determination and faith, Desiree picked herself up once more and faced her second major battle in life. She immediately transferred to Sloan Kettering in New York City where she would battle with a team of doctors for the next seven years during which time she finished her degree and even worked in NJ schools. She began her medicinal journey on a least aggressive course of treatment where she could keep her hair and still remain active. One of those treatments, Herceptin, targeted the HER2 component of her disease (a protein that divides breast tissue at a normal rate in a healthy woman). According to Sloan Kettering, one in five women have extra copies of Her2/neu gene, and they produce an oversupply of the protein. She was treated for hormone, HER2 positive breast cancer over seven years.

Most of the drugs gave her several months of stable disease. She eventually

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Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 7

NO REASON TO CHANGE! Keep The MOmentum Going!

Council President Joe Nicastro, Council Woman Colleen Labow, Council Vice President Alex Roman and Mayor Rob Greenbaum

GENERAL ELECTION TUESDAY NOVEMBER 5TH •Fiscal Responsibility-Reduced debt 5 years straight which is lower than it has been in decades!

•Open Space-Almost 80% of Mt. Olive Acreage (15,865 acres of 19,996 acres are protected from further development •Energy Efficient Green Community-Township Fleet garage and municipal building were converted to LED energy efficient lighting. Municipal Building will continue it’s conversion to more energy efficient and environmentally friendly air conditioning units

•Municipal Services-Converted sanitation pick up to automation (One-Armed

Bandit) saving the township over

1 million dollars. Maintain and operate some of the finest parks in Morris County including the premier Turkey Brook Park

•Representing All Residents-Your Mount Olive Township Council

and Mayor will continue to represent all

residents of the Township and work to do what is best for everyone.

•Open and Transparent-Council Meeting recorded and can be seen on the Mt Olive Website, Live streaming Council meeting starting this Fall. Mayors social media page provides information on everything going on in the township.

Paid for by New View Media Group, LLC Authorized by Joe Nicastro, Colleen Labow, Alex Roman and Mayor Rob Greenbaum

Page 8 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

started Taxol and lost all of her hair. A close friend from high school came and shaved it off for her as her daughter, Reese, watched.

She was honest with her children from the beginning in terms they could understand.

Close to her fourth year mark of her cancer diagnosis, she started having pressure headaches which turned out to be spots on her brain that had metastasized. The brain doctor explained to us that her Desiree and Family cancer had spread in a way that would copy a spray effect of water. Spot radiation helped for a short time, and full brain radiation did the same. It was the only treatment offered because as women battling will tell you, chemotherapy cannot pass the brain barrier. By year six, Desiree had a massive seizure in front of her two children. She recovered like the “rock star” she was. She couldn’t drive anymore, and little tasks became difficult, but she never wavered from telling me, “We

got this.” I believed that we had. She truly believed it too. It was not until December of this past year that our family believed differently. Her oncologist told us that the cancer had spread to her spine and spinal fluid, and it would only be a matter of weeks.

She would go to sleep. She fell asleep on January 8th, 2019 with all of her family and close friends in hospice care. Desiree survived seven years of an aggressive type of breast cancer.

What is a survivor? I am considered a survivor. It has been seven years since my diagnosis. After my sister’s diagnosis at age 34, I was advised to have an MRI. After suspicious films and 12 needle biopsies followed by a core biopsy, I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37.

I was the lucky one. Mine had not spread to my lymph nodes, but I opted for a double mastectomy and several months of chemotherapy because they had found invasive cells in

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Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 9

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Page 10 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 11

Page 12 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

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Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 13

Dana and Family

the lymphatic system of my breast tissue after the 6 hour operation. I can honestly say that I handled the whole experience “like a champ,” and I believe it is because I actually felt “lucky” after my sister’s diagnosis.

Mind you, I also had a great family, amazing kids, a mother that doted on me while I slept, and a mother in law that was willing to help with anything and everything. Most importantly, I had a very loving husband with a great sense of humor. I remember Luke walking in my hospital room after my mastectomy with a big grin and a very trendy New York shopping bag shouting, “I bought you boobs!” They were actually foam pieces that I would use until my skin expanded and I had enough room for implants. He also emptied my surgical drains after each operation, and still, he would make some kind of joke. He would walk into our bathroom with his medical kit and call me “his own Barbie.” My therapist actually asked me if he could steal that line to help other breast cancer patients. Like Barbie, I have now two, flesh mounds with “missing parts”. I never chose to get them made or tattooed. I guess I am ok with being like Barbie! I can tell you first hand that having that support and having someone still make you feel beautiful is key to being a young breast cancer survivor.

I am not going to lie and say it was easy having chemotherapy from nurses with hazmat suits, or giving myself shots for infection prevention the day after chemo, or watching half my hair fall out, or digesting Tamoxifen that aged me for three years as an estrogen blocker, or not being able to get out of bed to spend time with my three babies after chemo (they weren’t really babies, but I still call them that at ages 21, 19, and 15 currently), but I knew I was the lucky one “relatively speaking.”

I took a page from my sister’s book, and I carry it with me always. I know she struggled with the fact that she did not look sick for a long time, and so people assumed that her cancer was gone. She was so strong, beautiful, and smart, and we her family, especially, refused to see her as “sick.” But, that is not how metastatic cancer works. If you turn on any tv commercial

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Page 14 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

I had the pleasure of teaching a young boy whose mom was diagnosed with cancer last year. I asked her about her journey, and she reflected on her milestones as a young woman diagnosed with breast cancer. you can see women described as, “living a new normal.” She OUR PROMISE TO LOSE wanted to be as normal as she possibly could. If she had a “pity 20-35 POUNDS IN JUST party,” it would be for ten minutes, and then she would decide that “faith came before fear.”

SIX WEEKS OR YOUR I was sick for a short time, but I knew there would, God willNEXT ROUND IS FREE. ing, be an end for me. She knew that she would eventually die of breast cancer, even though she wasn’t willing to succumb Individual Results May Vary to it. She talked about her grandchildren. She talked about tomorrows. She called herself blessed and inspired so many people to fight and survive their own personal battles, sometimes so much, that friends and family often found themselves complaining to her! I remember being on the beach with her after her diagnosis. She turned to me and said, “Getting breast cancer was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I was feeling sorry for myself after losing Mark, but now I want to live.” After that, she celebrated every moment and cherished every milestone. She may have not survived the second half of her life, but her legacy and impact will.

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Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 15

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piece of me will always worry about the future and the future of the young girls in my life. Maybe, one day, I will be one of those women who get painted as a piece of art to celebrate my win! I admire those women.

I, personally, can look forward to more birthdays, now with only one check up a year at Sloan. It will be there that I reflect on the past seven years. It will be there that I miss my sister beside me. It will be there that I see women of all ages waiting for their chemo treatments, some as beautiful as my sister when she was diagnosed, and some so sick they need a wheelchair and oxygen.

But most of all, I will thank God that I am a survivor, that I know many survivors, and that my sister survived seven birthdays. I will most definitely bow my head and pray that my daughters (Victoria age 21, and Julia age 19) along with my niece (Reese age 12) will never have to call themselves survivors (as my husband holds my hand tight and tries to make me laugh.) I will sit there knowing that I am a mom, a wife, and now a full time Auntie to my sister’s two, beautiful children, Collin and Reese.

(My husband, my children, my parents, my brother, and I will now work together to raise her children.) I will also plan to write that memoir that I always promised her I’d write. And, for different reasons now, I will hear my sister whisper into my heart, “Danielle, you got this.”

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was actually HER 2 positive. My heart sunk. I knew this meant more treatment, more infusions, another YEAR of treatment every 3 weeks. But once again I just said, “it is what it is” and I continue to show up every 3 weeks.

This past year has been by far the hardest year of my life.

With a breast cancer diagnosis comes, yes, a lot of tough treatment, surgeries, and recoveries. But it also comes with a huge mental game and lots of fear. I continue to push myself to keep goI, personally, can look forward to more ing, to be positive, and birthdays, now with only one check up a to embrace every day. year at Sloan. It will be there that I reflect I believe you are foron the past seven years. ever changed after being diagnosed and you will have some good days, and some bad days and that’s OK. We go through and continue to go through so much.

And although the scars may fade, and our hair grows back, there is still so much happening in our bodies because we had breast cancer. But despite all of that, I am looking forward to my birthday this year because I am here to celebrate it!”

I, like Dana, am changed forever. My hair grew back, and my scars (after three surgeries) are beginning to fade. I look in the mirror, and I do see “battle scars”, but I try to see “Barbie” instead of cancer. I will always remember that cancer grew inside my body, and a small

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Page 18 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

A

Mount Olive Mayor and Council Take Pride in Our Town

By Jillian Risberg

s one of the best places to live in New Jersey, Mount Olive’s mayor and council are happy to have had a hand in the township’s low taxes, great place to raise a family, parks and recreation lover’s dream and top school districts.

“I am most proud of not raising municipal taxes in eight years, the sense of community we have fostered, responsiveness of the municipal government under my leadership as well as the communication effort we have undertaken,” says Mayor Rob Greenbaum.

Since Joe Nicastro took over as council president four years ago, he echoed many of the mayor’s sentiments as major accomplishments for the township as well as others, including adding mailboxes to drop flags to updating the parks and lowering the debt.

“I am also proud of what we do to keep the people of Mount Olive informed,” Nicastro says. “From our alert systems that contact residents in emergencies to our meetings that are available on our YouTube Channel. Granted, most people don’t wait with popcorn and gather around the computer to watch a meeting but if they are inclined to do so, now they can.”

According to the mayor, he is always working to improve the infrastructure, roads, parks and buildings of the town’s 32 square miles. He hopes to do more paving in 2020, conquer long overdue drainage projects and improve the all-purpose field at Flanders Park.

“Later this year, I hope to see a large tent installed at Turkey Brook Park for use by recreation or to rent for our residents,” Greenbaum says. “I also attempt to attract new commercial rateables, enforce our property maintenance code and remove old abandoned structures which are deemed unsafe.”

Rob Greenbaum

Joe Nicastro

Alex Roman

Colleen Labow

Daniel Amianda

John Mania

John Ferrante

Greg Stewart

It makes perfect sense to Council Vice President Alex Roman, whose proudest accomplishment is Turkey Brook Park.

“We have made it a premier recreational facility enjoyed by our residents and the envy of Morris County,” Roman says. “As liaison to the Recreation Committee, we have taken input from the public and provided valuable guidance to the Recreation Department.”

According to Nicastro, with the great upgrades made to Turkey Brook Park, he now considers it Mount Olive’s ‘downtown.’

“This is a place for sporting events, tournaments, the Santa House, Veterans Memorial, 9/11 Memorial, Splash Pad, Pirates Cove playground, a memorial garden and dog park,” the council president says. “People tell me how they love this park.”

Flanders Park just got an upgrade as well and Nicastro says they are always making improvements to their other facilities.

“It brings people in who visit the local shops and restaurants, and helps our local economy,” he says.

Despite all Roman’s efforts, the Budd Lake revitalization was his greatest disappointment.

“Mainly due to obstacles imposed to us by the state,” says the Council VP. “Proposals that we submitted to the state to create a boardwalk around Budd Lake were denied by the NJ DEP.” Nicastro understands the frustration people have when it comes to the lake and all the years of trying to make redevelopment a reality.

“The first step is to find a developer who is interested in developing that area,” the council president says. “It will be a long process even with the right partner. But I know the mayor, administration and council is working to find the right partner to make it happen.”

The mayor hopes to keep encouraging growth and conservative spending for the next four years.

“What means most to me is that people feel that Mount Olive is a place they want to live,” Greenbaum says. “When I hear that I know I’ve done a good job.”

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Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 19

NOV. 5

FREEHOLDER

FREEHOLDER

H Douglas Cabana H

H Tom Mastrangelo H

Freeholder Director 2000-2001,2017-current Attorney in Private Practice Past President, NJ Assoc of Counties Former Mayor and Committeeman, Boonton Township Former President, Morris County League of Municipalities Resident of Boonton Township

Freeholder Freeholder Director, 2013-2015 Liaison NJ Association of Counties Working to make government more efficient 25+ year experience in information technology JD.Seton Hall School of Law; MBA, FDU Resident of Montville

FREEHOLDER

H Kathy DeFillippo H Former Mayor and Councilwoman of Roxbury Past President, Roxbury Chamer of Commerce Former Brd Member, Nat MS Society, NJ Metro Founder of the Roxbury MS Walk Retired Certified Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Resident of Roxbury with husband Robert & 3 children

VOTEVOTE NOVEMBER 5TH JUNE 4TH TEAM 2019 TEAMMORRIS MORRIS 2019

Page 20 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

“We have local small business owners, parents with small children in our school system and retirees,” says the Council VP. “Our backgrounds provide invaluable input on all matters before the township.”

Overall, he says the town is a desirable place to reside, raise children and operate a business. People like living in Mount Olive and others seek to move there, in part because of what they have accomplished.

One of Roman’s top priorities was always opening up government and that is finally coming to fruition with the township’s new website and live streaming of council meetings.

“It was always important to me that residents and taxpayers know where their township spent their money,” the Council VP says, adding that in his first term — he spearheaded the move to have their Bill List publicly and easily available online.

“I am also proud of pushing our meetings to be videotaped and placed on YouTube. Going live is another example of our commitment to be transparent,” he says.

Even though their slate is all Republican, Roman says their circumstances are diverse.

“We have local small business owners, parents with small children in our school system and retirees,” says the Council VP. “Our backgrounds provide invaluable input on all matters before the township.”

And the schools in Mount Olive are second to none, accord-

ing to Nicastro.

“Especially the high school and middle school,” the council president says. “The things they offer our children are amazing — the facilities with a football stadium and performing arts center.”

As the publisher of a media group comprising a variety of newspapers and magazines, Nicastro is always doing his part to help in any way he can.

“I run many things for the organizations in town at no charge because I know they might not have the funds to spend on advertising,” he says. “Mount Olive Life is one of 18 publications I own with my wife Mary that is all about family friendly content. Being able to showcase the people, places and things that make a town like Mount Olive great is a wonderful thing.”

Councilman Greg Stewart says that despite seven different Council personalities, everyone’s opinion is heard and the resulting decisions are made for the community –- not a political agenda.

“I am proud of all of us on Council,” Stewart says. “We work together, that is how we have achieved not raising municipal taxes and not cutting any services for our community.”

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Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 21

“It’s been an honor to be a member of the Mount Olive Township Council working with Mayor Rob Greenbaum and the whole Council,” Labow says. “We have a rare mindset.

We all keep what we believe is in the best interest of our community the priority.”

Adds Nicastro, “We have a Council that can work together for the people of Mount Olive no matter what party they belong to, where they are from, new to town or born here, backgrounds or beliefs. The one thing we agree on is what’s good for the residents and that shows in what we have done.”

Mount Olive got to be the best of the best because the people managing it truly care.

“I hope the voters of Mount Olive re-elect myself and my running mates because we have demonstrated fiscal responsibility and creative leadership,” Roman says. “We have not raised municipal taxes while increasing services and reducing waste. I am proud to represent her and ALL the residents of Mount Olive.”

Stewart also wants to continue representing the township at the crossroads of Route 80 and Route 206.

“Mount Olive provides easy access to major locations throughout the state, as well as New York City and Pennsylvania, but it’s rural enough that all can enjoy the privacy of ‘non-city’ life and participate in as many local activities as they desire.”

As chair of the Mount Olive Board of Health, Councilwoman Colleen Labow oversees anything related to wellness for the Council.

That includes Animal Control (with free rabies vaccinations twice a year), the Senior Center/township nurse, septic installation projects and well water testing.

“I try to stay as informed as I can possibly be so when a resident comes to me with a question or concern, I can help direct them to the proper department or person,” Labow says.

The councilwoman’s years as a real estate agent have helped her with surprisingly numerous issues related to septic systems and wells.

“The cost for an ambulance is extremely high and many times, a patient’s medical will not cover it. That just adds a huge amount of stress to an already stressful situation,” Labow says, adding that they only turn to paid service during the weekdays but remain volunteer on nights and weekends.”

With election season around the corner, the councilwoman can’t think of a better government entity to continue working with.

“It’s been an honor to be a member of the Mount Olive Township Council working with Mayor Rob Greenbaum and the whole Council,” Labow says. “We have a rare mindset. We all keep what we believe is in the best interest of our community the priority.”

1

Page 22 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 23

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Page 24 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

Knowing the council has contributed their time and efforts to make Mount Olive one of the premiere townships in Morris County and a relocation destination means a lot to Nicastro going forward.

When Nicastro looks at an issue he also says it’s not a Democrat or Republican issue but a Mount Olive issue and what is the right thing for the residents.

“I am really blessed to serve the people of Mount Olive and truly enjoy what I do and can do for the residents,” the council president says.

They take safety very seriously and that means meeting with the police, fire and EMS on a regular basis.

“We plan out when new equipment is needed and budget it accordingly,” the council president says. “They put their lives on the line for every one of us; it’s important that we listen to their needs.”

According to Labow, they have worked very hard to improve roads, programs and services, while reducing their debt, increasing their financial rating and looking for more ways to make improvements and keep their municipal taxes stable.

Being an active member of the Mount Olive community and connecting with your officials has never been easier.

“Our new website will give residents a powerful online tool to access information and township resources in an effective

and efficient manner,” says Business Administrator Andrew Tatarenko. “It will be easy to navigate, have updated and relevant content and be fully responsive on multiple devices including smart phones, tables and wide screen monitors. The custom design will also showcase all the great things Mount Olive has to offer.”

Everyone will also have the benefit of being able to watch council meetings live streamed right through the website.

“And have the agenda displayed adjacent to the video so viewers can follow along,” Tatarenko says. “This will allow our residents to stay informed as decisions are being made.”

Knowing the council has contributed their time and efforts to make Mount Olive one of the premiere townships in Morris County and a relocation destination means a lot to Nicastro going forward.

“They love the open space we have, the farms and green everywhere,” the council president says. “I will continue to represent all residents and always be available for them. They tell me what a great town we have and love the work we are doing to keep it that way.”

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Page 26 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

Mt. Olive Girl Scout Goes for the Gold with Special Dementia Project

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By Anya Bochman here are few diseases as cruel and baffling to the medical profession as the conditions that fall under the umbrella of age-related dementia. An impairment of memory significant enough to affect daily functioning, dementia includes Alzheimer’s Disease, which is progressive and fatal. Though there are a number of clinical trials and medications that may slow the progression of the disease, currently it has no cure. There are, however, many things that caregivers and family members can do to alleviate the suffering of people struck with dementia. In Morris County, a Mt. Olive girl scout and high school sophomore is undertaking a special project in an effort to help those suffering from the disease.

Christine Hruby of Flanders, a sophomore at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta and a girl scout with Troop 4218 of Mt. Olive, is set to receive the Gold Award for creating special blankets

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“My great-aunt is in [Merry Heart] right now, so I see a lot of people with dementia,” Hruby said.

“Sensory blankets is something they need and do not currently have.” for sufferers of dementia. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the most prestigious and difficult to earn award in the organization, and tackling social issues is at the core of the accolade.

Per GSA’s guidelines, the scouts who win the award “are inspiring leaders who are working on a broad range of the most challenging problems facing our world today - from human trafficking to ocean pollution to education access to expanded STEM training for girls in underserved communities.” Hruby’s initiative to create 50 sensory blankets, also known as fidget blankets, for dementia-stricken residents of Merry Heart Senior Care Services in Succasunna fits in well with the required criteria.

According to Vicki Hruby, Christine’s mother, the girl was originally inspired to begin her project after visiting her great-aunt at Merry Heart for two years. Although her aunt does not suffer from dementia, during her visits Hruby was exposed to many patients who do. Additionally, Christine’s grandmother was recently diagnosed with the disease, giving her further exposure to the problems facing sufferers.

“My great-aunt is in [Merry Heart] right now, so I see a lot of people with dementia,” Hruby said. “Sensory blankets is something they need and do not currently have.”

People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, which makes any number of tasks -from keeping track of a purse or wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing meals,

remembering appointments or traveling out of the neighborhood – a struggle that typically exacerbates with time.

In the case of most progressive dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease, there is presently no treatment that slows or stops the deterioration. But there are drug regimens that may temporarily improve symptoms. The same medications used to treat Alzheimer’s are among the drugs sometimes prescribed to help with symptoms of other types of dementias. Non-drug therapies can also alleviate some symptoms of these conditions.

While the core symptoms of dementia, such as memory impairment and a decline in reasoning, judgment and communication are more or less familiar to the public, some other prevalent aspects are less well known. For example, anxiety is more common in people with dementia than those without, affecting between five to 20 percent.

People suffering from both dementia and anxiety may also exhibit behavioral changes including agitation, hoarding, seeking constant reassurance, not wanting to be left alone or closely following their caregiver or family member around. The person may appear restless and engage in pacing and fidgeting.

And just as children are often calmed by their favorite toy or blanket, a person with Alzheimer’s dementia or other memory loss condition may also be soothed by a special sensory blanket, or a dementia “fidget quilt.” Often, during the latter

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Page 28 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

stages of the disease, suffers may specializing in dementia care, exhibit hand fidgeting, as though who gave her a few pointers.” they are agitated or searching for Hruby has been a girl scout something to hold. The person since kindergarten, and before with dementia may pull on their she was eligible for the gold clothing or bedding, or repeatedly award in high school, she had rub their hands up and down. received the bronze and silver A specially-made fidget blanawards. According to Vicki, she ket serves to soothe the sufferer had to prepare a proposal for her while giving them something to sensory blanket project and go occupy their hands; often, such a before a special committee to get blanket will have zippers or butit approved. tons, and can be large enough Two of Christine’s sensory blankets Per GSA guidelines, there are to lay across the lap. A weighted seven steps that must be comblanket or lap pad is a simple, non-drug option that can be used to pleted before a scout is awarded the gold. Among these, she must reduce anxiety, calm nerves, provide comfort and promote deep identify and investigate a community issue she cares about, create sleep. a plan to tackle the root cause, as well as form a team to help her The blankets Hruby is making are soft and large enough to cov- in this mission. After the scout accomplishes her plan, she must er the lap of a wheelchair-bound person, and feature accessories share the outcome and tell her story. As a result of their efforts, such as zippers and pom poms. The girl scout is also in the process Gold Award girl scouts typically have a competitive edge in the of preparing a “sensory box” to go along with the blankets, a kit college admissions process and eligibility for scholarships. Since that will contain several small objects the patient may find sooth- 1980, the Gold Award has inspired girls to share their ideas and ing. To custom make these boxes, Hruby is taking a survey from passions with their communities.

Merry Heart patients’ family members.

The sort of community engagement and leadership required of “Since my mom was diagnosed with dementia, everything has Gold Award scouts is not new to Hruby; Vicki reports that the high been changing,” Vicki said. “That, along with her visits to Merry school student has a history of organizing and helping others. Last Heart, led Christine to design the blankets. She spoke with a nurse year, she started the Take Action Club at her school. Some

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past projects of the club involved making cards for residents of Merry Heart as well as collecting old mascara wands to be donated to the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge. The wands are used to remove fly eggs and larva from the fur and feathers of wild animals.

Laura Solowsky, Hruby’s Scoutmaster who has known the girl since the fifth grade, said that the scout’s work ethic stands out among the rest. “[Hruby] is one of my more quiet girls, but she sets goals and accomplishes them,” Solowsky said. “She is determined and she works hard.”

This sentiment was echoed by Vicki, who pointed to the girl’s dedication to both school and family.

“She really wants to help others and make a difference,” Vicki said. “She already helps with my mother by taking walks with her, and she takes our dog for therapy visits with patients at Merry Heart.”

Merry Heart has been serving the geriatric health care needs of Morris County for over fifty years. Individualized health care is given in order to ensure dignity and a high quality of life to each resident. Merry Heart provides a continuum of care where many available programs exist to allow a more precisely tailored solution to specific care needs.

Merry Heart is also committed to providing a secure, reassuring and comforting environment to clients with memory disorders. Residents in this program enjoy a plan of care tailored to address their specific needs. Features of the program include personalized diets, appropriate activities and socialization in a

safe and caring environment. Alzheimer’s and dementia care is offered at all Merry Heart facilities.

For her part, Hruby is interested in learning more about the disorder through research.

“It makes me happy to know that I’m helping so many people,” Hruby said. “I was thinking I might want to do something in the medical field related to dementia [later in life].”

To reach her goal of creating 50 blankets, Hruby has set up a drop off point in her school library where people can donate yarn. Once she completes the blankets and sensory boxes – an endeavor that must take at least 100 hours of independent work, per GSA requirements – she will have to present her efforts to her Girl Scout council. According to Solowsky, this aspect of the award distinguishes it from similar endeavors in the Boy Scouts, where aspiring Eagle Scouts are allowed to count hours when others assisted them on their projects.

In working her way through the project’s criteria, Vicki says her daughter has mastered important communication skills.

“She has had to show her leadership skills by talking to adults, such as the director of Merry Heart and the senior citizens there,” Vicki said. “She has definitely learned how to communicate better with adults and to direct her peers.”

And the organization that is at the core of Hruby’s project, the Girl Scouts – which she has been involved in for 11 years - is instrumental in shaping the student’s life.

“The Girl Scout group is something that she liked because it let her develop her own project,” Vicki said. “It allowed her to help others and give back to the community.”

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Page 30 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

A Guide To The Morris County Sheriff’s Office

M

orris County Sheriff James M. Gannon is entrusted with keeping peace in the county in the 21st Century, just as the earliest of his 76 predecessors would have tried to keep the area clear of bootleggers and stagecoach robbers in the 1700s.

Nearly three centuries after the King of England appointed the first Sheriff of Morris County in 1739, the elected Sheriff Gannon runs a two-bureau law enforcement agency that has Triple Crown accreditation and serves residents of the entire county of 500,000 residents with its array of critical shared services and operation of the Morris County Correctional Facility.

Sheriff Gannon on September 3, 2019, re-energized the Bureau of Law Enforcement by restructuring and consolidating four divisions into three divisions, and promoting nine Officers, including new Chief Morris County Sheriff’s Officer Kelley Zienowicz.

Chief Zienowicz has daily oversight over 120 employees of the Bureau of Law Enforcement who are assigned to three divisions: Protective Services, Specialty Services, and Criminal Investigations.

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Page 32 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

The Bureau of Law Enforcement also is led by Undersheriff Mark Spitzer, a retired Mount Olive Police Chief, and Chief Warrant Officer Richard Rose, a retired Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Captain.

The eight other Officers promoted on September 3, and their new ranks are: Detective Captain Denise Thornton, Detective Captain Mark Chiarolanza, Detective Lieutenant Aaron Tomasini, Detective Lieutenant Walter Rawa, Detective Lieutenant Laura Flynn, Detective Lieutenant Michael Turkot, Detective Sergeant James Rae, and Detective Sergeant Thomas Reilly.

“We have a tremendously strong, adept group of men and women in this agency who are focused on keeping Morris County safe, healthy and bound for the brightest future,” Sheriff Gannon said.

Since Sheriff Gannon took office in January 2017, he has concentrated on using agency talent and resources to build partnerships with other stakeholders and find solutions to grave societal

concerns, including the heroin and opioid pandemic and the potential for active shooters at schools, houses of worship and public venues.

The initiatives overlap both the Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Law Enforcement and the Bureau of Corrections, which manages the Morris County Correctional Facility under the supervision of Undersheriff Alan J. Robinson and Warden Christopher Klein.

The Bureau of Law Enforcement, which maintains accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., primarily is responsible for protecting judges and the 600,000 annual visitors to the Morris County Courthouse in Morristown.

The Bureau of Corrections oversees the County Correctional Facility, which has earned accreditations from the American Correctional Association and National Commission on Correctional Health Care Accreditation.

Sheriff Gannon said of the Courthouse: “We ensure that everyone who comes here – victims of crimes, defendants,

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the elderly person who wants to file a complaint over a credit card fraud – is safe and free from intimidation.”

A hallmark program of the bureau’s Community Outreach and Planning Section is Hope One, a mobile substance use and mental health resource and recovery program. Within 100 days of taking office, Sheriff Gannon had formed a partnership with the non-profit agencies Center for Addiction Recovery, Education & Success (CARES) and the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris Counties to launch Hope One, a mobile substance use resource and recovery program on wheels.

With a plainclothes Sheriff’s Officer, a Peer Recovery Specialist and Mental Health clinician on board the retrofitted box truck, Hope One since its launch on April 3, 2017, has had contact with 8,258 individuals, trained 1,920 people in the administration of Narcan, linked 149 people with rehab and recovery programs, and assisted 107 others in accessing mental health services.

The Morris County Sheriff’s Office Hope One program has served as a model for similar programs started by the city of Newark, Burlington, Atlantic, Cape May and Monmouth counties.

On April 3, 2019, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office was the first Sheriff’s Office in New Jersey to join the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) and serve as a dropin locale for people struggling with addiction to seek help and be connected with a certified peer recovery specialist from Daytop-NJ. Since then, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office has trained 10 other law enforcement agencies in the county to serve as PAARI sites.

The Bureau of Law Enforcement includes Specialty Services and Criminal Investigation divisions whose expertise is shared with all 39 municipalities in Morris County. The services include responses by 11 trained canines and their Detective handlers to narcotics, explosives, arson and other investigations, searches for missing people, and patrols of sensitive areas.

The Sheriff’s Office’s Bomb Unit, with Detectives certified by FBI explosives specialists, is another service shared with municipalities. The Crime Scene Investigation Unit is, by far, the specialized service most in demand, with CSI Detectives responding

to virtually every crime – more than 1,100 annually – to collect fingerprints and evidence and take photographs and measurements.

As of July 31, CSI Detectives were called out more than 570 times, including responses to 94 death investigations, 14 fires, at least 225 burglaries of homes or vehicles, and 14 sexual assaults.

The Sheriff’s Office has a highly-trained tactical team called the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT) that responds to a range of calls from violent encounters and hostage situations to search and rescue missions.

A vital component of the Office is Legal Services, which is responsible for the service and enforcement of legal documents such as summonses and complaints, writs and subpoenas, to the sales of impounded and abandoned vehicles, evictions, levies and Sheriff’s sales.

Under Sheriff Gannon, the Bureau of Law Enforcement also has the Morris County Sheriff’s Trends and Analysis Team (MCSTAT) that works cooperatively with other agencies to identify surges in particular crimes, patterns of criminal activity, and potential solutions. In the spring of 2019, the unit played a key role in assisting agencies in other counties in tracking patterns of thefts from at least 27 recreation league concession stands.

Recognizing a need, particularly among individuals who lack identification to obtain recovery or medical treatment, Sheriff Gannon instituted the Morris County Identification program available to people between the ages of 18 and 54.

A major, ongoing initiative through Sheriff Gannon’s partnership with the Morris County Chiefs of Police Association, mental health and school leaders is the Responsible School Violence Prevention, Preparation and Protection program (RSVP-3).

One component of RSVP-3 is the training of police to have a coordinated response to active shooters in schools. A second element is scientifically-sound training for police, teachers, school staff and mental health professionals so they can identify, assess and report behaviors that signal potential threats to school safety.

The Bureau of Corrections also has embraced strategies to help incarcerated individuals with substance use disorders use their time in custody constructively.

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Page 34 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

The avid reception to Hope One quickly led to the creation in June 2017 of the Hope Wing, a substance abuse housing unit at the Morris County Correctional Facility that is designed to help inmates address their addictions through group and individual interventions. Since its start, 120 individuals have passed through the Hope Wing program.

Another partnership between the Sheriff and the Morris County Human Services Department led to creation in 2018 of the Successful Transition and Re-Entry Program (STAR) for Morris County inmates.

As of August 2019, STAR had provided intensive re-entry case management to 87 individuals being released into the community, through linkages to housing, general assistance, Food Stamps, Medicaid and Vivitrol to help fight opioid addiction.

STAR follows the progress of released inmates for up to one year.

“This is all about returning folks to being productive members of society, and of course, crime reduction,” Sheriff Gannon said.

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Page 36 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

Budd Lake Chapel:

A Place for Friendship and Fellowship

J

by Elsie Walker ust down the road from the Budd Lake Chapel is a place the church calls “The Lord’s Oasis”. This piece of property, owned by the church, sits on the lake, and has a picnic pavilion, snack shack, and room for children to play games. It is a place the church uses for events, Vacation Bible School, and fellowship. Last month, it was used for a program of music where attendees were asked to bring something for the Mt. Olive pantry. The “oasis” as some simply call it, reflects the love and spirit of the chapel itself. “We genuinely love each other,” said Ken Nestman of those who attend the church. An elder of the church, Nestman, of Hackettstown, said that visitors have commented what a very friendly church it is. It is located at 54 Sandshore Road in Budd Lake The Budd Lake Chapel, started in 1871 when Mrs. John Chipps held Sunday School at the home of John Budd. Later, the Budd family deeded land for a church with the stipulation that it be non-denominational.

The Budd Lake Chapel was dedicated in 1875.

The oasis was a piece of property rented many years later as a parking lot, explained Donna Morris, of Ledgewood, who has attended the church for 42 years. When the owner of the rental property died, her family asked if the church wanted to buy the property. The person had also owned a piece of property across the street, by the lake, and that was offered to be sold to the church, too. The church bought both pieces of property, though the property on the lake was in disrepair. The church worked to fix up that property. When done, the church decided to name it “The Lord’s Oasis”. “It truly is an oasis,” said Morris.

The church’s pastor is Alan Pirrello.

Pirrello has been in the ministry 33 years.

Originally, Pirrello worked in corporate America in health sales and as a motivational speaker on wellness, health, and fitness. During that time, he was invited to a breakfast meeting of the Gideon’s. (The Gideon’s is a group of Christian business and professional men and their spouses which share the message of Jesus with

others.) He was touched at how the men shared their faith and got down on their knees and prayed. He joined the Gideon’s and became an evangelist, while still working in sales.

Pirrello’s evangelism took him to churches, jails, and many other places. One Sunday, he was invited to speak at a church. When he arrived, the minister there was surprised to see the speaker was so young. However, after the service and hearing him speak, that minister asked Pirrello if he did pulpit supply. Pirrello didn’t know what he meant, but learned that it meant filling in for pastors when they went on vacation. Pirrello said, “sure”, and soon found his name being circulated around, as ministers were looking for a good speaker to fill in for them. However, although asked about it many times, Pirrello did not feel called to change careers and become a pastor himself, until 12 years ago. That is when he started as part time pastor of the Budd Lake Chapel, becoming full time two years later. When asked what he finds most rewarding about being in ministry, he

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Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 37

said, “more than anything else being able to help others in their time of need. “ Pirrello has been married to his wife, Karen, for 24 years. He describes her as “an outstanding woman.” They have a son, Matthew who is a biology major at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison and is interested in sports. Sports is an interest of the elder Pirrello, too. Pastor Pirrello is a former Mr. Jersey (body building champion).

Looking at his life, and his path to the ministry, Pirrello noted, “I owe everything to Jesus”.

At 10 a.m. each Sunday, the Budd Lake Chapel has a blended service, a mixture of traditional hymns and more contemporary music. There is a pianist, and music is also provided by soloists and a praise band. Pirrello explained that his is a diverse congregation in age and ethnic background. The service appeals to that diversity. Also, there is nursery care during the entire service for children infant to age three.

“The pastor applies everything to the here and now and prompts you to put yourself in the story and how it applies today,” said Nestman of the message given during worship. He said that the church and pastor encourage everyone to read the Bible more and to be better Christians.

The congregation enjoys fellowship time with something to eat after worship, in good weather enjoying that fellowship outside at the oasis.

“It really is a family, very close,” said Pirrello of the bonds that form at the church.

There are a variety of educational offerings at the church; one of which is Sunday School for the children. During the worship message every Sunday, children ages 4 – grade 3 attend Sunday School. (Those in grades 4 – 6 have Sunday School every other week). Morris is the Children’s Ministry Coordinator. Currently, the Sunday School is using a three-year study program, the Gospel Project for Kids. “[It] helps kids to recognize Jesus’ role throughout scripture, that the Bible is God’s story of redemption” said Morris.

The children look at the entire Bible during the program. “Kids really enjoy it and come up with wonderful questions,” she added.

The church has many Bible studies for adults. There’s a weekly Bible study for women at 7 p.m. on Mondays and one for men on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. One Saturday a month, there’s a “Rise and Shine” study series for women. Once a month, on a Friday or Saturday, there is a home group, where people come to someone’s home to eat and have a Bible study. “It is a church that fellowships,” said Pirrello of Budd Lake Chapel.

Pirrello also noted that besides meeting with others, he emphasizes the importance of spending time together with family,

sharing the Bible and praying together. “There is where a foundation is built,” he said.

Every July, the church holds a week of Vacation Bible School (VBS) directed by Karen Pirrello with the help of other adults and about 22 teens and college students. Not all the teens and college students come from the church, but they are dedicated to this yearly event, helping year after year. The Vacation Bible School offers children from the community a fun time while learning Bible stories. The children are involved in skits, dance routines, and more. Outreach is part of this event and this year it raised $2,500 for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital through its VBS penny wars.

“Penny wars” have become a part of each year’s VBS. Morris noted that it is a fun activity, which also focuses the children on giving. Each age group has a jar. Each day of the program, children bring in pennies they have collected; the coins in each jar are counted and each group gets points for the number of pennies in its jar. However, if coins other than pennies are put in a jar, a group has points taken away. (For example, a quarter found in a jar means 25 points are deducted from the group’s score.) Some groups will put dimes, quarters or a dollar in another group’s jar to lower the points. Sometimes, older groups will see younger ones struggling to earn points and help them out with pennies. Morris noted that overall, regardless of points won or lost, the kids know the money all goes to a good cause, this year’s being St. Jude’s. At the end of VBS, the week’s points are totaled for each group. The leader of the group with the lowest total gets a whipped cream pie in the face.

The church is involved in a variety of other outreaches during the year. The church holds a fundraising banquet a week before Thanksgiving. Monies raised from the event purchase gift cards for the Mt. Olive Health Department to give to families in need.

In addition, the church helps many people with needs during the year.

Missionary work is also important. People from the church have taken medical supplies to Kenya and held a Vacation Bible School in Belize. The church partners with Market Street Mission and the Salvation Army to support missionary efforts both in the United States and abroad.

Looking ahead at events, this year’s fundraising Thanksgiving banquet will be November 17th. In December, the church will have a Ladies Christmas Brunch which is open to the community. If interested, people should watch the church website for details at http://buddlakechapel.com/ The chapel’s Christmas Eve Service will be December 24th at 7 p.m.

Page 38 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

Hauntings Around the Area for Halloween

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By Elsie Walker

alloween will soon be here. Many times on Halloween, or around camp fires, stories of ghosts; strange, creepy or haunted places; and recollections of strange occurrences are shared. Some people pass stories on from generation to generation until they become legend. However, others, like members of the New Jersey Ghost Hunters Society (NJGHS), investigate strange occurrences to see if there is a paranormal presence involved. Recently, people from around the coverage area shared stories and sightings of local ghosts, rumors of haunted locations, and experiences with the paranormal.

Members of the online, “You Know You’re From Roxbury Township….” group recalled ghost tales and scary sights. One popular ghost story was the Hooker Man. It is about a ghost seen by the Succasunna railroad tracks. “The Hooker Man lost his hand in some freak train accident, and now searches for it with a lantern,” shared Mike Stark, Roxbury. However, it appears the Hooker Man has not only been seen in Roxbury, but Netcong, Flanders, Chester, and Long Valley also lay claim to the legend. Cheryl McClung, a former area resident, who now lives in Georgia, shared, “At night, people see his [the Hooker Man’s] lantern bouncing along the tracks in Flanders on the west side of [Route} 206.

Dawn Traetta Hair, of Florida, another former Roxbury resident, remembers the stories of the former location of the Church of the Mystic Light in Flanders. The building is closed, but there had been claims that witches had hung chickens and have had seances there. People still stop by it, out of curiosity, if not scared away.

Kim Howell Candore shared that there have been ghost sightings at her childhood home, “I was raised at 11 Meeker Street [in] Succasunna, next to the cemetery. There has been many spottings of two men in Civil War uniforms smoking, sitting on a tree stump in front of our old house,” said Candore, who now lives in Tennessee. Candore remembers that the two churches on Main Street, adjacent to the cemetery, used to be a military hospital.

Also shared, was that Roxbury has its very own “haunted house” in the form of the Halloween House, a tremendous display put on by the Heard family in Roxbury.

Hackettstown is the meeting site of the NJ Ghost Hunters Society. The society’s mission statement is “To search out definitive proof of life beyond the grave. To provide paranormal investigations to those who request them, free of charge. To train those individuals, who so desire and become members of the NJGHS, in the protocols of professional, ethical and scientific paranormal investigating..” L’aura Hladik Hoffman is the society’s founder and director. She is the author of Ghosthunting New Jersey, Ghosthunting New York City, and Ghosts of the Poconos and has a variety of presentations on the paranormal which will be given at area libraries this month (listed on the

bottom of www.njghs.net/presentations.html).

Recently, Hoffman recalled stories she was told of two ghosts who are said to haunt Bea McNally’s (formerly Charlie Brown Restaurant). In 1878, the place was the Clarendon House (hotel) and from 1926-1947 it was the Hackettstown Inn. “The ghost girl appeared to a young girl who was living at the hotel when her family owned it. She snuck down to the kitchen in the middle of the night for some ice cream. When she was headed out of the kitchen and into the dining room to sneak back upstairs, she was met with this bright, sparkling light and out of the light stepped a young girl – about the same age of the girl sneaking the ice cream – and the ghost girl was dressed from a different time period and clutching her teddy bear. The ice cream girl screamed, dropped the ice cream and ran up to her room. The next day when her parents confronted her about the mess in the dining room, they did not believe her about the ghost girl she saw. However, a couple weeks later, the father saw the ghost girl, too.”

As for the other ghost, Hoffman said there are various origin stories as to who he is. Most have to do with drowning.

Two versions have him as a child who was staying upstairs and died while unattended in the bathtub. Hoffman shared that in another version of the story, “A Lady of the Evening was distraught over unrequited love of one of her clients and

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Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 39

she took a bath and drank a bottle of gin and passed out and drowned.” However, most seem to think the ghost is a child as they have got the sensation of someone wanting to ride on their shoulders or putting a small hand into theirs.

Over the years there have been other stories of ghostly presence at the location, such as unexplained footsteps and, when there was a pool hall at the location, how when it was unlocked for business one day, instead of the cleaned pool hall, cues, etc. were strung all over.

In Pompton Lakes, Laura Jennings, a member of the historic commission there, shared about some caring spirits at the Schuyler Colfax house ( Hamburg turnpike, Wayne) “Dr. Jane Colfax Young grew up in the house with her father (Dr. Richard S. Colfax) and Aunt (also Dr. Jane Colfax).

Katherine Young, daughter to Jane Colfax Young, shared that she spent a lot of time in the home until he was ten years old. Both her and her father felt and saw things in the house that they are sure were the spirits of their ancestors watching over them. The Colfax family is one of the founding families in the area.”

Jennings also shared that she had heard reports of ghost sightings at the Lenox School in Pompton Plains.

Morristown has had its own dealing with the paranormal. Pat Goodfriend, Membership & Volunteer Coordinator for the Morris County Historical Society shared a short 2016 article by Y. McGreevy on Ford Mansion. The mansion at the Morristown National Historical Park is over 200

years old. Once the home of George Washington (briefly during 1780), the mansion drew the interest of Gordon Thomas Ward, a paranormal investigator, who in 2016, did a presentation on the Mansion and his two-year study of it, including the noises said to be coming from inside its walls. An article by B. LaMuraglia the same year shows that during the time of his investigation, Ward heard the voices of three male and two female spirits. None were Washington; Ward felt at least one could have been a kitchen servant.

Bells Mansion, near the Netcong-Stanhope border has also been the subject of a paranormal study.

That was shared by Tom Lupo of Hopatcong, a producer who followed the NJ Ghost Hunters Society when it investigated the restaurant six years ago.

The segment includes a worker recalling seeing the spirit of a woman.

He was cleaning up after the restaurant had closed. There are windows between the rooms.

He looked up and saw a woman, seated in the next room, looking out at the road. He watched her for about 10 seconds and then went to approach her. When he walked into that room, she was gone.

This Halloween, will the Hooker Man or the little girl ghost at Bea McNally’s be seen? Will voices whisper through Ford Mansion or the Lenox School? Perhaps, this year, a new spirit will be seen and its legend begun.

Page 40 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

NJStarz Kelly Tripucka Hometown: Bloomfield, NJ Photo courtesy of Bloomfield High School 1977 yearbook

I

By Steve Sears f you asked Kelly Tripucka what his favorite lifetime memory is, no doubt it would be sports related.

After all, Tripucka played 12 years in the National Basketball Association, being drafted in the first round by the Detroit Pistons in 1981. That first season, he was also named an NBA Eastern Conference All-Star, and for a period he held the Pistons team record for points in a game with 56. He scored over 12,000 points in 10 NBA seasons.

Then there was his collegiate career for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, where he started for four years and led the squad in scoring each season, he and his teammates knocked off a few ranked opponents, and went to the NCAA Final Four in his freshman season of 19771978.

However, significant as all of the before mentioned is, perhaps Tripucka’s fondest recollections take him back to his high school days, when as a threeyear starter for legendary Head Coach George Cella’s Bloomfield Bengals, he led the team to a 65-16 record and two consecutive appearances in the Essex County Tournament finals. It was the competition faced, the 2,278 points scored in just three seasons, being named an All-American as early as his junior year, as well as being lauded as the Star-Led ger New Jersey Boys High School Basketball Player of the Century in 2000 – all that resonates in a very special way.

“Memories are memories, whatever you make of them, whatever other

people make of them,” Tripucka says.

“There’s no question that’s also the start of everything; that’s your background, that’s who you are, that’s where you grow up. That kind of makes you into who you end up becoming. Obviously, when you go through it and end up reaching the pinnacle like I did for the most part, that’s also special, too. But it starts at home, and that’s another era.

That’s what makes it even more special.”

Tripucka, in addition to his hardwood exploits which garnered significant collegiate interest nationally, was also an AllState soccer player (he scored 26 goals as a senior) and track and field record setter (an eastern states champion in javelin, and he was also a high jumper), the results of which were additional colleges recruiting him to attend their schools for those sports. Letters arrived regularly at both the high school and the Tripucka home.

Tripucka credits his coaches – Cella, Jim White, and Paul Williams – with his success. “I was fortunate to have three of the greatest high school coaches in different sports than anybody could possibly ever have,” Tripucka attests. “You don’t see coaches around for 40 years like that. Those are the three, top of their profession, great guys, great coaches, fun to be around, and they deserve a lot of the credit because they taught me and others like me to be who we end up being.”

A big aid as well was growing up in a family of competitive brothers (and one sister) when backyard pick-up games

became real battles and ended in fights, where the elder Tripucka, Pro Football Hall-of-Famer and Kelly’s Dad, Frank, would be summoned to grab a rake or shovel and end the tussling. Little brother Kelly often was teased, having the ball kicked away from him by his older siblings. “Again, that’s part of growing up,” he says. “There are older brothers and they wanted to do what they were doing and most of the time they didn’t like you because you were in the way, so they kicked the ball down the driveway or into a neighbor’s yard.”

“But I was persistent: I always came back because that’s what I wanted to do.

To stick with it.”

When Kelly was in junior high school, brother T.K. was recruited by an East Orange summer basketball league coach to play on his team, and the team suffered a crushing loss in its first game. When asked if he had any other friends that he could think of that might be interested in playing, T.K. asked his younger brother. “I was never so excited in my life,” Tripucka recalls. “So, I show up with T.K., it’s outside and they have stands, beautiful glass backboards, and he tells the coach, ‘I brought my brother with me.’ And the coach looks at me and says, ‘Yeah, fine.’ We start to play the game; he has no idea who I am – and why would he?

I’m in ninth grade – and we’re getting killed. The guy, the coach, he’s frustrated they’re losing again, and he walks down the bench, points to me and says, ‘Ahh, why don’t you go in.’” Tripucka laughs as he continues. “I end up scoring 20

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Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 41

A big aid as well was growing up in a family of competitive brothers (and one sister) when backyard pick-up games became real battles and ended in fights, where the elder Tripucka, Pro Football Hall-of-Famer and Kelly’s Dad, Frank, would be summoned to grab a rake or shovel and end the tussling.

points, we come back, and we win the game, and the coach is running around like Jim Valvano when North Carolina State won the national title! He grabs T.K. (who is 6’ 9”) by the shirt and pulls him down, and this guy is like 5’ 8”, and he looks at T.K. and says, ‘You got any more brothers at home?!’”

From that moment on, Tripucka became a fan favorite in East Orange, and thereafter the rest of the county and the state.

Tripucka watched older brothers Tracy, Mark, Todd, and T.K. play for the legendary Cella, and he wanted his chance. “Growing up, my goal was to make the high school team and play for George Cella. That’s all you thought about. There was no thought beyond that. ‘I want to play for Bloomfield High School and George Cella.’ So, to finally get that opportunity and play with my brother T.K. for a year, and actually get coached by him (Cella), it meant everything. A great man; knew basketball through and through. It was an honor to play for him.”

Tripucka achieved his goal, and for the next three years he led Bloomfield to (arguably – there was a three year, 64-game winning streak in the late 1950s) its most exciting three years of basket ball ever. As a sophomore for Bloomfield’s 20-4 Bengals, Tripucka, who was on the starting five, scored 437 points. Colleges came calling early. “Some guy who sent a letter thought I was a senior,” he laughs. His star was rising.

In his junior season, he averaged 29.4 ppg and scored 796 points, became the school’s all-time leading scorer, led the squad to an overall 24 - 3 record, a Big East conference title, and an Essex County Tournament finals appearance. Perhaps the most sparkling gems from that season were wins on the road over rival East Orange, 82-71 (“They never lost at home,” Tripucka says), and at home versus #1 ranked Trenton, also by an 82-71 count. “At that time, you basically played in your county. To be playing Trenton at that time, I don’t know how that game was scheduled,” Tripucka says, who scored 41 points that snowy afternoon. “How crazy that, at that time, they were #1 in the state and we were #2. The gym was packed, the kids were

all into it, and the fans and everything else, and you couldn’t ask for a better scenario. They happened to be #1 in the state, and we get a shot at them. Obviously, there was a lot of talk going on, but we basically ran them out of the gym. That was big for the school, the program, and it was great for me as well. That was a huge game.”

In his senior year, Tripucka tallied 1,045 points, and Bloomfield finished the season with a 21 – 8 record but lost again in the county finals and state tournament. Tripucka scored 54 points in his finale, an 8280 loss to North Bergen, where the opposition said there was no way he’d score his season’s average – 36 points per game -- against them. Tripucka had tallied just short of that by the end of the first half. Courtesy of Danny Callandrillo, former North Bergen all-stater, Tripucka was told that the North Bergen coach walked in at half time and, seeking to have someone else defend the Bengal star in the second half, asked, “Okay, who wants to guard him?” All the players lowered their heads.

There were no takers.

“Not winning the county tournament one of those two years,” Tripucka says, “that still bugs me, and that along with not winning a state championship.” But there was success, some big wins, and Tripucka attributes that to something very specific. “When you have (on your schedule) teams like East Orange and Orange, you can’t play scared. We got our fair share of them, obviously they won the big games, and I’m still friendly with some of those guys, but I’ve always said that not winning the country tournament at least once and not winning a state championship for George (Cella)…that will go to my grave (with me). I think about it every once in a while, that’s for sure.

It still hurts.”

“But it was a great, great time in high school. I enjoyed every second of it.”

Among the coaches who visited the BHS gym to scout and attempt to recruit Tripucka were Bobby Knight of Indiana, Lefty Driesell of Maryland, Notre Dame’s Digger Phelps, and others.

Tripucka visited Duke, Maryland, South Carolina, and Notre Dame, his eventual choice, the same college his Dad attended.

“If I didn’t go to Notre Dame, I probably would’ve gone

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Page 42 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

to Maryland.”

Tripucka would go on to become one of Notre Dame’s alltime leading scorers. “It’s a whole other level,” Tripucka recalls about his college basketball and his freshman season.

“You have to be patient. I was always very confident; I never backed down from anybody. I didn’t care; you weren’t going to get into my head or whatever. I think I’m better than you and I’m going to show you. In college, you just can’t assume that you’re going to walk in there because some of these guys have been playing for three years. But I was confident in my ability and I knew you have to work, so I worked at it and I was bigger than most guys at that time at that age. I didn’t start right away but I knew I was going to be a (smart) player, and after three or four games I ended up becoming a starter, and we had some really, really good teams.”

Notre Dame made it to the NCAA Final Four but was bested

by Duke, 90-86. Tripucka sparkled during the season, averaging almost 12 points per game. He averaged 18 points per game in his 1980-81 senior season, sealing his collegiate career with 1,719 points. During his four seasons, the Fighting Irish won an average of 23 games per season.

Tripucka was drafted 12th by the Detroit Pistons, who in the same draft had also selected Indiana Hoosier All-American guard, Isaiah Thomas. “That was a great place. We put Detroit on the map and, again, it was about making another adjustment from college to the pros. You’ve got to have confidence.

You’re battling bigger, stronger, faster guys, but I made my way in, worked hard, and having an opportunity to start and playing all 82 games that year. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a job, but at the same time it’s game. It was a very successful first year.”

A title eluded Tripucka as well in Detroit, who traded him to the Utah Jazz, and he eventually became part of a new regime in Charlotte, North Carolina known as the Hornets. “We used to sell out all the time as a first-year program. It was a happening place. It was awesome!” For Tripucka, the joy, after two forgettable seasons in Utah, was found in playing again. “That’s what it’s all about. You play. I played in the Jersey shore league.

It was about playing. The fortunate thing was that I went to Charlotte. It was unfortunate that it was an expansion team, and it’s tough to win. But you know what, Charlotte was a great place. Two of my three children were born there, and for me it was a rebirth. Basketball was fun again. 20 wins isn’t a lot, but it was enough that they threw us a ticker-tape parade after the season. I was back to playing again, and that made me happy.”

Tripucka retired from the NBA after the 1990-91 season with a career scoring average of 17.2 points per game.

Tripucka and his wife of 33 years, Janice, have three children. Oldest son Travis and middle child Jake had successful sports careers, and youngest child, Reagan, is a college senior.

“I’m very proud of my kids and what they’ve been able to do,” Tripucka states proudly, “and I think they’ll appreciate it more as they go through life and get a little older, and it certainly goes by quickly.”

Every so often when in his old Bloomfield stomping grounds, Tripucka reflects. The Brookside Park basketball court has

Photo courtesy of Notre Dame University Department of Athletics

yielded to a playground. “It’s gone,” Tripucka says of the court where over the years he many times perfected his game against top competition. “How disappointing is that?!” The home he grew up in doesn’t seem as big as it did in his childhood. “When we played in that side lot, we hit baseballs out into the street and had neighborhood football games right there, and that basket was the greatest thing ever. The basket was awesome – I think it’s still the original basket my father put up -- and we used to think that that driveway was forever (long), but when you drive by it now, it doesn’t seem as big. Boy, wouldn’t you like to know some of the legends of some of the three-on-three of four-on-four games we had that were pretty good.” Tripucka also states that, when at the high school, he does visit the trophy case and his retired #42, which garners the attention of many sports, especially basketball, fans.

For Kelly Tripucka, it was all about the joy of playing, and never playing scared, especially in his and the glory days of Bloomfield Bengal basketball. “You can’t play scared. That was never my problem. I came to play, and I backed down from no one. They (opponents) knew they were in for a game when they played Bloomfield.”

Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 43

Breast Cancer Signs and Symptoms Learning to recognize the signs and symptoms of breast cancer can increase the likelihood of early diagnosis, which greatly improves women’s chances of surviving this disease.

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reast cancer is a formidable foe.

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 627,000 women lost their lives to breast cancer in 2018. But women are not helpless in the fight against breast cancer, as the WHO notes early detection is critical and could potentially save thousands of lives each year.

A proactive approach is a key component of protecting oneself against breast cancer. While the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.® notes that many breast cancer symptoms are invisible and not noticeable without a professional cancer screening, women can keep an eye out for certain signs of breast cancer they might be able to detect on their own. Monthly self-exams can help women more easily identify changes in their breasts. During such self-exams, women can look for the following signs and symptoms and are advised to report any abnormalities they discover to their physicians immediately.

• Changes in how the breast or nipple feels: The NBCF says nipple tenderness or a lump or thickening in or near the breast or underarm could indicate the presence of breast cancer. Some women may notice changes in the skin texture or an enlargement of the pores in the skin of their breast. In many instances, skin texture has been described as being similar to the texture of an orange peel.

Lumps in the breast also may indicate breast cancer, though not all lumps are cancerous.

• Change in appearance of the breast or nipple: Unexplained changes in the size or shape of the breast; dimpling anywhere on the breast; unexplained swelling or shrinking of the breast, particular-

ly when the shrinking or swelling is exclusive to one side only; and a nipple that is turned slightly inward or inverted are some signs and symptoms of breast cancer that can affect the appearance of the breast or nipple. It is common for women’s breasts to be asymmetrical, but sudden asymmetry should be brought to the attention of a physician.

• Discharge from the nipple: The NBCF notes that any discharge from the nipple, but particularly a clear or bloody discharge, could be a sign of breast cancer. The NBCF also advises women that a milky discharge when they are not breastfeeding is not linked to breast cancer but should be discussed with a physician.

Learning to recognize the signs and symptoms of breast cancer can increase the likelihood of early diagnosis, which greatly improves women’s chances of surviving this disease.

Page 44 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

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7 Ideas to Improve Curb Appeal

hether you’re hoping to sell in the near future or simply looking to touch up outdated areas, there’s one aspect of home maintenance most homeowners agree is important: curb appeal. It’s a broad term that may reference any number of visible features, meaning there are plenty of ways to enhance the appearance of your house.

Consider these ideas – some big, some small – for bringing new life to your home’s look from the experts at the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

Swap Out Your Front Door As one of the first things a guest, passerby or potential homebuyer may notice, the front door is the gateway to your home and a likely opening impression. Upgrading to a heavier, bolder door or simply repainting the existing

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Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

RE-ELECT NICASTRO FOR COUNCIL - NOV. 5TH Proudly Serving the residents of Mt. Olive

Joe

NICASTRO COUNCIL PRESIDENT

Questions or concerns?

Contact me at 973-809-4784 Cell jnicastro@mtolivetwp.org

Next Council Meetings: Oct. 15 & 29 at 7:00pm Mount Olive Township Municipal Building

Mt. Olive Life • October 2019 • Page 45

threshold can capture positive attention.

Alternately, swapping out hardware for a more eye-catching look is an easy way to achieve a fresh facelift.

Create Seating Areas A welcoming home is typically an attractive one, and there are few better ways to create a cozy vibe than a seating or gathering area on the porch. Whether it’s the classic porch swing or chairs and a coffee table suitable for the outdoors, a small zone ideal for conversation and camaraderie can help create an at-home appearance.

Plant Shrubbery Billowing trees and blooming flowers are certainly eye-catching accessories outside a home, but many varieties require intense care to grow the way you envision and may adhere to seasonal weather patterns for optimal appearance. For a quicker result, shop around for fully mature shrubs and plants that can withstand elements throughout the

year.

Rethink the Mailbox It may not be as exciting of a project to undertake, however, giving your mailbox a fresh look helps it stand out and – especially if it’s directly in front of your home – may turn an ordinary object into a worthy attractant. Your work may be as simple as updating to a newer model or as thought-out as constructing a small rock wall around the base.

Add Stonework For a project that can give your house a new look altogether, consider incorporating stonework or a stone veneer for a natural appearance. If changing your facade isn’t in the plans, less complicated ideas like pavers, brick sidewalks and landscape rings are ways to introduce a classic touch.

Paint (or Repaint) the Exterior Changing the exterior paint color of a home is one of the most popular renovation projects, and one of the first that

comes to mind for many homeowners.

Simply altering the colors of trim, gutters and other accent pieces may be enough for some homes, and repainting the exterior doesn’t have to mean a new color altogether – consider a brighter shade or simply a fresh coat to help your home pop.

Update Lighting Light fixtures come in all shapes and sizes, and many times the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While updated porch illumination may not drive home a potential sale, it’s a subtle touch right as guests arrive. Adding smaller lights in previously unlit areas like around landscaping (consider solar-powered for easier maintenance) can help your hard work shine.

To find more ideas to increase curb appeal, or to find a certified remodeler near you, visit RemodelingDoneRight. com.

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The oversized 2-car garage has room for a workbench and storage. Central A/C. Sliders from eat-in-kitchen to deck. Newly finished hardwood flooring in living room and hallways, new carpeting in bedrooms. The 1/2 acre property abuts park-land and is one of 5 homes on quiet cul-de-sac. Full laundry hook-up on ground level.

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Page 46 • October 2019 • Mt. Olive Life

Debunking Common Myths Associated with Breast Cancer

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Information is a valuable asset in the fight against breast cancer. Learning to decipher between accurate and false information can be especially valuable.

ancer claims the lives of millions of people across the globe every year. But the fight against cancer is anything but hopeless, as the World Health Organization notes that between 30 and 50 percent of all cancer cases are preventable.

Learning about cancer is one of the best ways for people to protect themselves from this deadly disease. Researchers continue to learn more about cancer everyday and routinely discover that information once thought to be accurate was actually off-base.

Despite researchers’ best efforts, some myths about cancer still prevail.

Some of these myths are about cancer in general, while others refer to specific cancers, including breast cancer. Myths about breast cancer can be as harmful as accurate information is helpful, so learning the truth and debunking those myths can be an important part of women’s preventive approach to breast cancer.

• Myth: Drinking milk increases your risk for breast cancer. The American Cancer Society notes that early studies raised concerns that drinking milk from cows treated with hormones could increase a person’s risk for breast cancer.

However, ensuing research failed to find a clear link between the two. In fact, a 2002 study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology found no significant association between dairy fluid intake and breast cancer risk.

• Myth: Lumps indicate breast cancer.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.® says that only a small percentage of breast lumps turn out to be cancer. However, abnormalities or changes in breast tissue should always be brought to the attention of a physician.

• Myth: Mammograms cause breast cancer to spread. This myth is rooted in the incorrect notion that breast compression while getting a mammogram causes the cancer to spread. However, the NBCF insists that cannot happen. In fact, the National Cancer Institute touts the benefits of mammograms while the ACS recommends women between the ages of 45 and 54 get mammograms every year. For additional breast cancer screening guidelines, visit the ACS at www.cancer.org.

• Myth: Women with a family history of breast cancer are likely to develop breast cancer, too. This myth is dangerous because, if taken at face value, it can give women with no family history of breast cancer a false sense of security. However, the NBCF notes that only about 10 percent of individuals diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that a woman’s risk for breast cancer is higher if she has a first-degree relative, including a mother, sister, daughter, or even a male family member, who have had the disease. But breast cancer can affect anyone, regardless of their family history.

Information is a valuable asset in the fight against breast cancer. Learning to decipher between accurate and false information can be especially valuable.