When Mineola resident Joseph Galante learned that his niece’s two-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma he began a campaign to raise funds for her treatment that has brought together people across the North Shore – from Great Neck to Mineola.
The most recent effort is a fundraiser for Ella Kate Kearney and her family on Saturday, Nov. 12 at The Nutty Irishman in Farmingdale.
“It’s been a really devastating thing for our family,” Galante said of his grand niece.
Ella Kate was diagnosed on Sept. 9 and immediately underwent emergency surgery to remove a tumor that was wrapped around her spinal column. The surgery removed most of the tumor.
But her treatment would require eight months of chemotherapy at the Cohen’s Children Medical Center at North Shore LIJ in New Hyde Park and two weeks of radiation treatment at Children’s Hospital in Boston – one of two east coast hospitals equipped with the radiation technology needed to treat her.
Ella Kate’s parents, who reside in Massapequa, will have to live in Boston for the two weeks of daily treatments that she must undergo.
Her father, Brian, is a floor installer with Local 2287, District Council of Carpenters, and his wife Keri, who is Galante’s niece, is a guidance counselor with the Amityville School District.
The treatments and time away from home would cost. And Galante wanted to help.
Galante, assistant comptroller of strategic planning under state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli since 2007, is a former member of the Mineola Chamber of Commerce. His late mother Ann Galante was the mayor of Mineola and receiver of taxes for the Town of North Hempstead.
So Galante reached out to friends across the North Shore. The result, he said, has been a tremendous outpouring of support.
“It’s been a huge success so far. Generally everybody’s been opening up their wallets,” he said.
Willis Hobbies, Piccolo Bussola, St. James Restaurant and the Williston Townhouse Diner have all made raffle donations. Village of Mineola Trustee Lawrence Werther donated a Captain American art piece for the raffle.
Three professional New York sports teams, the Islanders, Mets, and Jets have all donated tickets to be raffled at the Saturday event as well.
Christine Composto, a producer on ABC’s “Regis and Kelly” and a member of the Ella Kate fundraising committee, donated tickets from “Rachel Ray” and “The View” to be raffled.
The Bethpage Federal Credit Union donated of 10 tickets for a luxury box at Disney on Ice at the Nassau Coliseum in January.
Galante also reached out to his friend John Ryan, a financial advisor in Great Neck who heads the Great Neck Business Circle, for advice about setting up a non-profit organization to handle contributions to the Kearney family.
For Ryan, the news of the Kearney’s plight resonated with him.
His daughter, Rebecca Ryan Edelstein, had Hodgkins disease when she was in college and suffered a recurrence the following year. Now fully recovered she recently gave birth to a baby boy, Lucas Benjamin.
Ryan’s wife, Stephanie, had a double mastectomy two years ago.
Ryan consulted an attorney friend, Ron Schwartz, who suggested using the Great Neck Rotary, of which Ryan is a member, as a non-profit conduit for donations to the Kearneys
“The most important thing for people to understand when they or someone they love has cancer is that they are not alone,” Ryan said. “The medicine will take care of itself, but the support is necessary.”
Ryan has been reaching out to local Great Neck businesses for contributions through the Great Neck Rotary.
“It’s been a great team effort and the right combination of people to make this a success,” Galante said. “We’re just trying to do as much as we could. We wanted to give them some initial comfort so they wouldn’t have any initial financial difficulty in this first round of chemo.”
Galante’s team also includes his wife Kimberly, who is commissioner of community services for the Town of North Hempstead.
So far, Galante said his grandniece is coping well after several chemotherapy treatments.
“She’s a happy kid and she’s met other kids who are going through the same thing. Hopefully, there won’t be any negative memory of what she went through,” he said.
The suggested donation for the Nov. 12 fundraiser is $50.
It will be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at The Nutty Irishman, 323 Main St., Farmingdale.
Doinations can be made at the door and checks also can be sent to the Ella Kate Kearney Fund, P.O. Box 357, Williston Park, NY and should be made payable to Rotary Club of Great Neck.
More information can be obtained at the Ella Kate Kearney Fund Facebook page or by e-mailing ellakatebenefit@gmaiil.com.
