By Dana Klosner-Wehner
After being treated with traditional antibiotics, he felt better for a few days but the chest pain persisted, and Conlan felt that something wasn’t right.
After undergoing testing by a pulmonary specialist, it was discovered that Conlan’s blood levels were off and that he had a germ cell tumor in his chest. It was cancer.
According to Conlan’s wife, Kelly, the cancer grows quickly and can metastasize in different parts of the body, as it did in Conlan, spreading from his chest to his sternum. Conlan went from a stage-one risk to intermediate risk, which qualified him for a trial at Sloan-Kettering Hospital, where he has undergone chemotherapy since February. The chemo, Conlan explained, has been tough on her husband.
“He goes in three week cycles,” Kelly said. “He goes to chemo five days a week for six hours a day. He goes for one week, and then he’s off for two. But so far after each round of chemo he’s been hospitalized for a week for dehydration and he is left sick.”
Throughout the ordeal, Conlan’s friends and neighbors have been an enormous help, Kelly said. They brought food and helped watch the Conlan’s three children — Lily, 7, Gavin, 5, and Grace, seven months — so that Kelly could spend time with Conlan in the hospital.
“I don’t know what I would have done without the help of our neighbors and friends,” Kelly said. “During this whole process we’ve been lucky to have all these people give us support. This is my way of giving back, for people that don’t have that same kind of support system.”
Kelly recalled that one day, her children came home from school with information about Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society that will be held on June 13 this year. The 24-hour, world-wide event is made up of teams, usually family members and friends, who walk around a track to raise money for the American Cancer Society. A team generally tries to have one member walking at all times throughout the 24-hour period.
Kelly called immediately to start a team, “Prayers for Patrick” for her husband.
The team started raising money by sending mailings to friends and family. They have donation carts at area merchants that include delis, florists, dance studios and schools. The 25-member team raised $5,000 before the first informational meeting, and has raised nearly $7,500 to date.
The team is hosting a fundraiser one week prior to the Relay for Life event – Saturday, June 6 – on Harvard Avenue between Pine and Chestnut Streets. The event will include an inflatable bouncer, cotton candy, make your own sundaes, face painting, tattoos, hot dogs, music and more.
The idea of bringing Relay for Life to Baldwin High School originated with physical education teacher Rich Garguilo, whose father-in-law, recently retired from NYU Medical Center, told Garguilo how he had been volunteering for the American Cancer Society. When Garguilo’s father-in-law explained the Relay for Life event to him, he said he immediately thought of one of his students, Nick Farano, a cancer survivor.
“This is the first year I ever had Nick in class,” Garguilo said. “He’s a sophomore with the gift of gab. Before I knew who he was he came up to me, and within minutes had me donating [to find a cure for cancer.] He’s passionate about it. When I told him about Relay for Life he said, ‘Oh, can we do it?’ I knew I had to try and push this thing.”
The Relay for Life event will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 13 and end on Sunday, June 14. A cancer survivor dinner, open to survivors and caregivers will take place on June 13 at 5 p.m. Teams are urged to set up campsites and bring food and beverages. There will be karaoke and a D.J.
Garguilo said that 84 people attended the first informational meeting. The high school community has already raised $10,000.
“Cancer doesn’t stop and we’re not going to stop,” Garguilo said.
