By: Nick Buglione
East Meadow has turned Kellyjon Miranda-Fritzen's tears of sorrow into tears of joy.
What was supposed to be a dark and gloomy holiday season for the family grappling with injury, illness, money problems and downright bad luck turned out to be one of its best ever, Miranda-Fritzen told the Herald. "The strength of this community is overwhelming," she said. "These people who we don't even know cared enough about us so we don't lose our home."
In the weeks since the East Meadow Herald published the family's harrowing story, Kellyjon, 37, husband Scott, 33, and son Ben, 8, have received a number of charitable donations and been the focus of other acts of goodwill by East Meadow community leaders and residents.
For the two years they've lived in East Meadow, the Fritzens' lives have been fraught with misfortune. Kellyjon was diagnosed with a heart condition, and later leukemia. Scott suffered a stroke and was in a life-threatening car accident. The family spent thousands of dollars in repairs on their new home, only to see it catch fire.
With the holidays fast approaching, Kellyjon and Scott were both out of work for health-related reasons and had only $415 in their bank account to put toward myriad looming bills. But after learning of the family's plight, the East Meadow community came out in full support, donating food, clothes, gift certificates, toys and money to the Fritzens.
In November, it didn't look like Ben would be getting any presents for Christmas, but thanks to the generosity of local residents, he was knee-deep in wrapping paper Christmas morning. "He got more toys than a normal Christmas," Kellyjon said. "My son was overwhelmed with joy. Everything we went through was worth it to see that kid on Christmas morning. He realized that the people in East Meadow really care about him."
More than $3,000 in donations was raised for the family, according to Alan Hodish, East Meadow Chamber of Commerce president. The chamber, East Meadow Kiwanis, the East Meadow Teachers Association and the East Meadow Soccer Club were just a few of the organizations to make sizable donations.
The money has allowed the Fritzens to square most of their bills for January, particularly their mortgage.
Hodish, a Garden City-based lawyer, has been instrumental in aiding the family since their story was first published. He put them in touch with a lawyer who expedited Scott's application for worker's compensation, and he's now receiving checks.
Kellyjon placed a teary phone call to Hodish on Christmas morning to thank him for his help. "It brought me to tears, with a big smile," Hodish said. "Obviously it was an excellent feeling. It's what East Meadow is all about, and it continues to inspire me."
Hemsptead Town Councilman Gary Hudes (R-Levittown), who visited the Fritzens on Christmas Eve and delivered a present to Ben, came away with the same feeling. "It was truly a great Christmas story," he said. "Here all these nameless, faceless people that didn't know them from anything came out. All of them opened their hearts and pocketbooks to [help them]."
Kellyjon has been keeping a list of all the residents and organizations that have aided the family -- a list that includes more than 130 names. "My biggest struggle in life is showing these people how thankful I am," she said. As a small token of her appreciation, Kellyjon toiled for 11 hours on a five-foot thank-you card that has the name of everyone on the list. She also wrote a poem expressing her thankfulness.
She has also joined the Chamber of Commerce, and plans to return the kindness to others in need as soon as she's better. "Anything this community needs, as soon as I'm better, I'm there," she said. "How could you walk away from a community like this?"
While the family's luck has certainly changed, they still face a tough road ahead. Kellyjon, who will spend the next month in the hospital for chemotherapy and other treatments, is still trying to get on Social Security. Since she's been out of work for months, she recently was taken off her company's payroll and lost her medical benefits, which cover the entire family. She had been paying a $785 monthly premium to keep the benefits, though the fee was recently waived.
Scott has still not returned to work since his October car accident, but it's hoped he'll be back in February.
There's still talk of organizing a garage sale to benefit the family in the coming months. "I'm sure I can get some people on board to help with this," Hodish said.
Still, the Fritzens now face their future with a renewed sense of hope, Kellyjon said. "It's a miracle we got through November, December and January," she said. "If we've made it this far, I'm not worried."
