Grass-Roots Crusade Launched To Wipe Out Leukemia

By KAAREN VALENTA

Published: Mar 27, 2001 12:00 am

By Kaaren Valenta

When Newtown High School senior Greg Chion died last year of complications from leukemia, his mother vowed that his death would not be in vain.

âLeukemia kills more children between the ages of two and 14 than any other disease,â Ginny Chion said. âWe need to find the cure.â

She has been joined in her grass-roots crusade by others whose lives have been affected by leukemia. Together they are launching Coins for the Cure, an area-wide effort both to raise money for leukemia research and to promote awareness of the warning signs of leukemia to aid parents in early detection. âParents need to ask questions when their children are ill and not responding to treatment,â said Coins for the Cure committee member Janis Solheim. â[Parents] need to know to follow their gut instincts, ask for a blood test and rule out leukemia.â

The lives of the committee members have been touched by the disease. Marie Rojoâs son, Adam, died at the age of nine of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in 1989; Emily Montoya, the 2Â½-year-old daughter of committee member Beth Montoya and granddaughter of Marge Studley, was diagnosed last September with ALL .

Greg Choin, 17, lost a 10-month-battle with leukemia last October after months of chemotherapy and a white-stem cell transplant. Coins for the Cure is dedicated to the memory of the youth who was co-editor of the Newtown High School senior yearbook; captain of the swim team; a drum major in the marching band; a member of the National Honor Society; and a member of the Spanish Honor Society. A Scholar Athlete, he was a recipient of the DeGroat Athletic Award.

Members of the Charity Club at Newtown High School this week made collection canisters from coffee cans and blue paper; the cans, along with educational brochures, will be distributed throughout the Greater Danbury area by high school students and other volunteers beginning April 1.

âI want everyone to know how great the kids are at the high school,â Ginny Chion said.

Mrs Choin said she approached the Fairfield County chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Stamford to ask how her family could help fight the disease. The organization encouraged her to form a grass-roots group to reach out to Newtown and the surrounding communities. Last week Mrs Choin attended a training session in Stamford to learn how to explain the organizationâs goals to the community.

According to Phyllis Osterman, patient services manager of the chapter, one of the problems in detecting leukemia is that many of the early symptoms can be confused with those of common ailments. It was just before Christmas 1999 that Greg developed such symptoms as ear infections, a bad cough, and conjuntivitis (pink eye). A month later he was diagnosed with acute myelocytic leukemia (AML).

Emily Montoya was diagnosed last year on Labor Day after having a low-grade fever and complaining of pain in her arm. Her mother, who is an emergency room nurse at Norwalk Hospital, said it is vital that parents learn the symptoms of leukemia so that it can be diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.

Statistics from the Leukemia Society show that there were 106,700 new cases of leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma last year, including 1,400 in Connecticut.

The Coins for the Cure committee is soliciting donations from area corporations and businesses to aid in the support of research to find a cure for leukemia. Other activities also are taking place. At St Rose, the families of children who will be receiving Holy Communion in May are donating inexpensive new toys to the Toy Chest, a fund stared by Dr Joseph McNamara, a local pediatric oncologist. These toys will be distributed to children receiving chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants. Greg Chion was a member of the St Rose parish and a former member of its youth group.

For more information about Coins for the Cure or to join in the campaign, call Ginny Chion at 426-0851; Marie Rojo at 426-8830; Linda Maggio, 426-1619; Marg Studley, 426-3651; Beth Montoya, 270-8096; or Janis Solheim, 426-4822.

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My darling, You were the best GRANDmother a child could ask for. You created so many great memories & traditions that I have passed down to your Great grandchildren. You brought joy into every room you stepped into. Your laughter, singing, whistling and the signature Rockettes high kicks, is something I will always hold in my heart. There was something about walking into your home and being greeted by your beautiful face. *kiss on each check* followed by HELLOOOOOO Darling! The classical music playing softly in the background and your love and comfort made your home, a safe space. Somewhere, where love knew no boundaries. It was so much more than a home. I aim for the same in my home, and play the classic music 24/7, but it will never be the same. I pray I can be 1/4 of GRAND, you put in GRANDmother. You were so resilient. You found the positive in every situation. I look up to you so much. I remember begging Mom and Dad for years to change my name to “Carmen”. They didn’t officially change my name, but eventually started calling me “Carmenita” as I am a little you. THE HONOR. You were there for me, no matter the day or hour. You were always the one who would talk me through whatever hard situation I was going through. When my baby passed away, I refused to talk to anyone for 3 weeks. Except for you. You said to me “Better days are coming, babes. There’s always a rainbow after the storm”. Of course, you were right, because you are GRAND. I picture you in heaven dancing and laughing with him. Uncle Jay playing the money game with him. To know you are with your children again & with mine does bring me some joy. Twas the night before Christmas & New Year’s Eve, will never be the same. Another tradition you created. A memory that will last forever. Not just with me, but for generations to come. It may not be the same, but we won’t let it die. It will live on, in your name. To be your first GRANDchild was a blessing. I could write an entire book about you & all the amazing things about you. Even though we were robbed of time together & it makes me angry, I know I will see you again. This isn’t a goodbye, but a “see you later”. Just like we ended every phone call. Ciao, darling. I love you. MWAH MWAH! Love your GRANDchild, Kimberly aka Carmenita

Carmen Accashian

Unfortunately, I think this is likely to get worse, not better... Based on both public comments and private conversations, I’m increasingly concerned that our newly elected First Selectman intends not just to install these cameras, but to expand their use for full-blown enforcement and fines. Try getting a straight answer out of him about the long-term plan and you quickly realize how vague the responses become. Tyler is absolutely right to raise the privacy issue. These systems don’t just “catch speeders” — they quietly build a database of where we drive, when we drive, and who is in our vehicles. Once that infrastructure is in place, it becomes very easy to justify expanding its scope: more cameras, more locations, more uses, and eventually more automated enforcement. If Newtown is going down this road, residents deserve clear, written answers to some basic questions before anything is expanded: What limits will be placed on how and where cameras are used? Will footage and plate data be used only for speed enforcement, or for other investigations too? How long will data be stored, and who can access it? What safeguards will prevent vendors and individuals from abusing this information? Without firm, enforceable rules in place, “just a few cameras to slow traffic” can turn into something very different over time. I support safe roads — but not at the cost of unchecked surveillance and vague promises from our leaders. You try getting straight answers out of our First Selectman, myself and others have not been able to...

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Real people were just in a frightening car accident. To immediately frame their misfortune as rhetorical ammunition against new housing — affordable housing included — feels less like concern for “health and safety” and more like opportunistically using a scary moment to support a pre-existing position. If we’re going to debate this proposal, we should do it honestly: with data on traffic volume, accident history, engineering recommendations, and the town’s housing needs, not by seizing on a single crash as proof that 300 apartments are inherently unsafe. Newtown deserves a thoughtful, fact-based conversation about growth, safety, and affordability — one that doesn’t turn other people’s bad day into a political talking point.

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To add context that did not occur at the meeting would not be an accurate representation of the meeting and would, in fact, be editorializing to shape public opinion. The editorial staff here do not consider ourselves to be final arbiters of what the truth is (and if we did, it would make us partisan and biased), and we would need to provide a source for any dissenting information (sourcing all information in an article is literally Journalism 101). There were no such sources present at the meeting in question, and so it would not be appropriate to include such information in an article about the meeting. Dissenting voices appear in meeting stories when there were active participants with dissenting opinions, such as during public participation or the words of a council member who disagreed. It should be noted that the Interfaith Council, like many local boards and commissions, conduct meetings that are open to the public. This was not an article on the actions of the Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants, or on immigrants, or on ICE's actions in the community, where including other voices or perspectives would be appropriate. We appreciate your opinion, but we stand by our meeting coverage and consider this discussion closed.

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Grass-Roots Crusade Launched To Wipe Out Leukemia

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