HILLSBOROUGH: Ornaments honor his mom’s memory

Stephen Wurst will light hospital’s "Hope" tree on Tuesday

   After losing his mom when he was only 12, Stephen Wurst of Hillsborough became active to keep his mother’s memory alive.
      His “Laurie’s Legacy” campaign is now in its third year. Laurie Parlin, who died in August 2009 from breast cancer, will be remembered with the sparkle of stars and ornaments on the Hope & Remembrance tree in the lobby of Somerset Medical Center in Somerville.
   Stephen, now 15 and a sophomore at Hillsborough High School, has raised more than $60,000 for the Steeplechase Cancer Center at Somerset Medical Center and hopes to raise $5,000 this year from donations for the ornaments.
   Stephen will light the tree in a ceremony Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Steeplechase Cancer Center.
   ”I am really proud that I am able to do it,” he said. “It is really great that the Steeplechase lets me help these cancer patients and remember my mom in the same way.”
   Donna Parlin, Laurie’s mother and Stephen’s grandmother, said the ornaments were picked out the very first year and they are reused each year.
   ”We wanted to go with a pink, white and silver theme,” she said. “The tree is absolutely beautiful.”
   According to Ms. Parlin, the tree is decorated with ornaments about every three days as donations are received. Ms. Parlin goes to the Steeplechase and personally puts them on the tree, with help from Lisa in the gift shop. Stephen helps put up the tree and the mailing that goes out to previous and new donors.
For a donation of $5, a silver star or ball goes on the tree. A $10 gift will put up a white angel or snowflake, and $25 brings a pink bell or ball. A $100 or larger donation will bring a silver ornament in the shape of the word “hope.”
   Each ornament is labeled “in memory of” “in honor of” or “donated by.” Donations are tax deductible; checks should be made payable to Somerset Medical Center Foundation with Laurie’s Legacy on the memo line.
   Stephen said in his donation letter “Remember, if we all donate a little we can help a lot of people.”
   For information or to make a donation to Laurie’s Legacy, call Somerset Medical Center Foundation at (908) 685-2885 or visit www.smcfoundation.com. Donations will be accepted at the Steeplechase Cancer Center.
   Two other fundraisers this year for Laurie’s Legacy were a Somerset Patriots baseball game and running in the Steeplechase 5K race.
   ”It is great that this goes to help cancer patients who really can’t do anything,” said Stephen. “They have been put into the situation and there isn’t anything that they can about it.”