Clinton Township Newsletter

1 0 j u l y 2 0 2 4 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M Oriental Rug Specialist Since 1934 Sale & Service of Oriental Rugs & Carpets I n L o v e A n d S o n g i S B u i l d i N g a c o m m u N i t y f o r B r a i N t u m o r a N d B r a i N c a N c E r P a t i E N t S In Love And Song: A New Jersey Non-Profit was established in 2023 with a mission of building a community for brain tumor and brain cancer patients, survivors, and the caregivers. ILAS was formed in memory of Lou Zucker and Billy Misik, and in honor of Billy's mother, the incomparable Chris Misik. Mrs. Misik signs everything from holiday cards to text messages with "In love and song." When it came time to name their non-profit, founders Deborah Rizzo and Melissa Gogo knew they had to honor Mrs. Misik. "She let her son move from Chicago to New York when he had terminal brain cancer," Deb says. "She could have kept Billy home to spend more time with him and nobody would have blamed her. Instead, she chose the selfless route and let him have his dream of being a college student studying theater in New York. That takes an incredible amount of strength. I don't know anyone else who would have been so selfless." Tumor Tidbits by Deborah Rizzo, MA, MT-BC, PPMT Tumor Tidbit #1: My name is Deb and I'm a Board Certified Music Therapist. I specialize in brain tumors and will be presenting my research on caregivers at the International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology in Philadelphia this summer. In my spare time, I'm the Executive Director of In Love And Song, a nonprofit founded to directly help brain tumor and brain cancer patients. I've been asked to write a bit about brain tumors each month, which I'm deeming Tumor Tidbits. The first question I'm often asked is, "What is a brain tumor?" According to John Hopkins Medicine, a brain tumor is defined as the following: "A brain tumor is a growth of abnormal cells in the brain. The anatomy of the brain is very complex, with different parts responsible for different nervous system functions. Brain tumors can develop in any part of the brain or skull, including its protective lining, the underside of the brain (skull base), the brainstem, the sinuses and the nasal cavity, and many other areas. There are more than 120 different types of tumors that can develop in the brain, depending on what tissue they arise from." (https:// www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/brain-tumor) To elaborate further, not all brain tumors are cancerous. There are certain tumors, such as meningiomas, that can be benign, meaning not harmful or cancerous, in any way. Many are found by accident during scans for other ailments. Meningioma patients can live for years without any effects of the brain tumor with no growth of the tumor itself. In Love And Song has a vision of building a community stronger than any brain tumor. With longterm plans of sponsoring a service dog to improve the quality of life for a brain tumor patient, Melissa and Deb know they have their work cut out for them. They started with a donation drive to collect comfort items for a local brain tumor center. Other plans include a mini-golf tournament this summer and a virtual 5K later this year. More information about In Love And Song can be found on their website: www.InLoveAndSong.org, and on Facebook and Instagram at @inloveandsongorg. c a l l V a f a N a P o l i N o W f o r y o u r S u m m E r c E l E B r a t i o N S ! Don't know what to feed those hungry guests at your next party? Voted "Hunterdon County's Best Food Truck" for 2023, our wood- fired pizza truck is a locally owned and operated self-sustained mobile pizzeria. We offer traditional Margherita pizza, a variety of artisan pizzas, vegan pizzas and dessert calzones! The dough is made by hand using centuries-old Neapolitan methods. Toppings are made with the highest quality, freshest ingredients – and served to you by the Truppi family of Clinton Township. Catering of private parties, corporate events, fundraisers and community gatherings is our specialty! We currently serve north and central NJ as well as eastern PA. Let us help make your event a memorable one! To book your next event, go to: www.VaFaNapoliPizza.com or call:908.303.1951. Mangia bene e sii felice! (Eat well and be happy!)

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