LONG BRANCH –Five students, who recently graduated from Brookdale Community College, took time from their summer vacations to deliver knot blankets to cancer patients in the Leon Hess Cancer Center at Monmouth Medical Center.
Michelle Fernandez, Jaclyn Corson, Alexandra Callirgos, Amanda Sorrentino and Lindsey Bijas met during high school. Each teen had been impacted by a family member’s cancer diagnosis.
When the five women attended Brookdale, they joined the Conquer Cancer Club, which serves as a beacon of hope for all members of the Brookdale community by raising awareness of all cancers, raising funds for research and striving to make a real difference in the lives of those affected by the disease.
Through a number of fundraising initiatives, including selling homemade cake pops and rubber “cancer-of-the-month” bracelets, the women raised $900 to purchase supplies to make knot blankets for cancer patients. They held a “Knots of Strength” event, encouraging fellow students to participate in creating knot blankets. The end result was 25 warm fleece blankets.
The visit to the Outpatient Infusion Unit at the Leon Hess Cancer Center at Monmouth Medical Center to deliver the blankets was an opportunity for group to see the warmth the blankets and the visit provided to those undergoing treatment. In addition, the club members visited the Inpatient Cancer floor, leaving blankets for their patients as well.
Additional information about the Leon Hess Cancer Center at Monmouth Medical Center is available by calling call 732-923-6575.
