Lynbrook family's 9th annual hemophilia benefit raises money for a good cause

Anne Hughes, left, Anne Marie Reardon, Jenny Atkinson and Colleen Harris handed out raffles at the event.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

Peter Ledwith, left, and Kevin McTigue provided music for the event with bagpipes and drums.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

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The 9th annual Christopher’s Hemophilia Benefit event was held at the Coral House in Baldwin on March 31. The event was held in honor of Christopher Ambrosio, 12, who was diagnosed with the rare blood disorder when he was a day old.

All of the money raised at the benefit went to the New York City Hemophilia Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation for research and education.

Christopher, a seventh-grader at Lynbrook North Middle School, is the oldest of three children. He has a younger brother, Connor, 11, and sister Kelsey, 7. He said he has learned to cope with the disorder.

“It’s obviously tough, but I mean, it could be worse,” Christopher said. “It’s definitely kind of boring not being able to do things that all my friends can, like sitting on the sidelines instead of playing. That’s definitely hard.”

What started as a simple dinner of 100 people has gotten bigger and better every year, according to Christopher’s mother Kelly. She said that the idea to have a fundraising benefit was thought up by her friends Rebekah Festa and Jenny Atkinson.

“In every way, shape or form the community truly comes together to really make this such a memorable night and a successful night,” Atkinson said. “It’s always a night of great energy for a great cause.”

The night included music from bagpiper Peter Ledwith and drummer Kevin McTigue. Dozens of baskets were also raffled off to attendees.

In dealing with the disease, Christopher must have a needle inserted into his chest on a daily basis. Kelly, who is a nurse, said that hemophilia changed her family’s entire lives because they had to be cognizant of what kind of toothbrushes Christopher used and never had living room furniture because if Christopher has a bleed, it could be very severe.

“We were devastated when our son was born with the disease because we felt helpless,” Kelly said. “This event is kind of an outlet for everyone. Something to do to help. So everybody comes, and every year it just gets bigger and bigger.”