The community of the township of Millburn/Short Hills never ceases to amaze me. The values of the community have never been more prominent than in the case of Lisa Motessi. Motessi has been diagnosed with Acute Myleogonous Leukemia. Her friends and family organized a bone marrow screening in an attempt to identify a potential donor or donors who may save the life of this young mother of three.
After having been alerted to the need to find Motessi a donor, the Millburn/Short Hills community leapt into action. 445 residents of the township of Millburn/Short Hills signed up at the Millburn Free Public Library on the day of the bone marrow screening event to be potential bone marrow transplant donors. Furthermore, the bake sale organized by Motessi’s friends and loved ones yielded a whopping total of $23,000. Diagnosed in June, Motessi attended the bone marrow screening wearing a base ball cap and a bandana. Motessi has been through more than two months of hospitalization, chemotherapy, and battling infections. It was estimated by Motessi and her husband that they were personally acquainted with only 30% of the potential donors. The rest of the potential donors who lined the halls of the Millburn Free Public Library were residents who had never even met Motessi. One attendee explained that since Motessi was a member of the community, she was family. Another explained that while Millburn High School has again been ranked as the number one high school in the state, what truly defines the community begins at the elementary school level and works its way up. Motessi is a mother of children who attend Hartshorn Elementary School, and has been supported by many members of the Hartshorn Elementary community.
According to Motessi and her husband, roughly 36,000 people need life saving bone marrow transplants, but there are only a few thousand suitable matches available. Hopefully the work of the caring and devoted Millburn/Short Hills community will add to the pool of eligible donors. If you would like to show your support, you can get more information online at www.dkmsamericas.org. While you’re there you can sign up to make a monetary donation or register to receive an at home test kit, consisting of a simple cheek swab test, to see if you could possibly become a donor.
Shannon Aronson top Keller-Williams real estate agent Short Hills Millburn and surrounding towns in New Jersey.
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