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Mepham alum shines at U.T.
Bayou Jones, lCK close amid Covid
Panelists talk higher education
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Vol. 23 No. 35
$1.00 $1.00
AUGUST 27 - SEPTEMBER 2, 2020
Lizzie’s Army ‘Fighting for the Girls’ Because of her diagnosis, she maintains more social distance than most. As a speech patholoCalhoun High School alumna gist for St. Mary’s Children’s Elizabeth Fitzpatrick was show- Hospital, Fitzpatrick typically ering in March when she felt an makes house calls to see olive-sized lump in patients, but “going her right breast. into other people’s An ultrasound homes when you’re d et e r m i n e d th e immunocompromass was a cluster mised is not ideal. of “complicated “I was definitely cysts” that were very surprised and “probably benign,” wasn’t sure what to she said, but given think,” she added, her age — 24 — and “but I immediately a lack of family went into fixer history, she was mode to figure out told to return for a how to fix this.” follow-up in six Fitzpatrick’s ElizABETh months. aunt connected her The lump, howwith a surgeon at FiTzPATRiCK ever, quadrupled in NYU Langone in size by June. A Merrick Manhattan, where radiologist recomshe started chemomended a routine therapy. She had biopsy, but Fitzpatrick was her first treatment on July 30, assured she had nothing to and now goes every other week. worry about. Then, on June 25, She will start weekly treatments she received the call with her Sept. 1. “Chemo does drain you a results — the mass was breast lot,” she said, “but luckily I’ve cancer. had more good days than bad.” To say she was shocked at the She also started a blog, news was the “understatement “Fighting for the Girls,” to share of the century,” Fitzpatrick, of her journey with other young Merrick, said. “Having cancer women battling similar diagnoduring a pandemic is definitely a tricky situation.” Continued on page 3
By AlySSA SEidMAN aseidman@liherald.com
M
Courtesy ESPN Images
STEVE lEVy, RiGhT, a south Merrick native and Kennedy High School graduate, leads the new “Monday Night Football” broadcast team, which includes Brian Griese, center, and Louis Riddick.
JFK High School alum lands ‘Monday Night Football’ gig By ToNy BElliSSiMo tbellissimo@liherald.com
Steve Levy got a taste of the “Monday Night Football” broadcast booth last September when he served as the play-by-play commentator for the Denver Broncos-Oakland Raiders game in Week One of the season. Now Levy, 55, a south Merrick native, one of ESPN’s sign at u re vo i c e s a n d a SportsCenter anchor, is preparing to begin his first sea-
son on the “Monday Night Football” stage after he was named the seventh play-byplay voice in the show’s 51-year history. “It is truly a dream come true,” said Levy, who graduated from Kennedy High School in 1983 and earned a bachelor’s in communications from SUNY Oswego four years later. “I’m still hearing from so many people. I’m very close to two of my Merrick friends, which dates back to the fourth grade. We’re getting a big
laugh at remembering [when] I [would] announce our street football games while playing in them way back then, and now I’ll be broadcasting one of the NFL’s most signature franchises.” Hired by ESPN in 1993 after stints at the MSG Network, WFAN radio and WCBS television, Levy emerged as one of the network’s leading play-by-play commentators for his work on the National Hockey League and college Continued on page 18
y whole goal of sharing my story is to let other women know they’re not alone.