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ROBBINSVILLE: Stars to shine for Melissa

By Jane Meggitt, Special Writer
   It’s not often that star performers appear in Robbinsville. Two stars will be at Robbinsville High School on Saturday for an event to benefit a young local woman battling bone cancer.
   While former “Saturday Night Live” performer Joe Piscopo and Broadway star Ciaran Sheehan are the headliners, the true star of the evening won’t be present. That’s 19-year-old Melissa Ferrono, a 2012 graduate of Robbinsville High School, now enrolled at St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia.
   Diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma two years ago, her cancer recurred only a month after she began college classes. On Feb. 27, she underwent surgery at Penn Presbyterian Hospital, Philadelphia to remove the lining of her chest wall and lung, according to her mother, Roseanne Ferrono.
   She then underwent photodynamic therapy, or PDT. According to the National Cancer Institute, “PDT combines a drug (called a photosensitizer or photosensitizing agent) with a specific type of light to kill cancer cells.” Patients must avoid direct sunlight and bright indoor light for at least six weeks after treatment, according to the NCI. Melissa also requires additional chemotherapy and radiation.
   Roseann Ferrono said this is an experimental surgery, performed by only three hospitals in the country. Melissa is currently in the hospital’s intensive care unit, and her mother does not leave her side.
   ”All things considered, she’s in good spirits,” she said of her daughter.
   Roseann Ferrono adds that her daughter is “really amazing.” Melissa won a full scholarship to St. Joseph’s University, where she intends to major in English and then attend law school with the goal of becoming a corporate lawyer.
   ”It’s a tough fight but she is driven and courageous,” according to Roseann Ferrono. “She’s stronger than me. She’s my rock and I’m her pebble.”
   While the Ferronos have insurance, the out-of-pocket expenses for co-pays and deductibles are very high. Other benefit fundraisers for Melissa have included a “meal card drive,” pancake breakfast and basketball game fundraisers.
   Mr. Piscopo’s appearance is courtesy of event sponsor Roma Bank. Mr. Sheehan’s sister, Anne Marie DelGrotti, teaches kindergarten in the Robbinsville school district.
   Featured performer Ciaran Sheehan played the title role in “The Phantom of the Opera” for over 1, 000 Broadway performances. He was the soloist at John F. Kennedy Jr.’s memorial mass in 1999, after JFK Jr. and his wife, Carolyn, were killed in an airplane crash. Mr. Sheehan, who grew up in Hamilton and attended Notre Dame High School, also sang at the inauguration of New York Gov. George Pataki. Mr. Sheehan will sing Broadway, Irish and other tunes at the benefit concert.
   Tickets are $25 each and are available at the door. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased during all operating hours at Robbinsville branch of Roma Bank at 2300 Route 33 and Jim’s Bagel Loft, 34 Robbinsville-Allentown Road in Robbinsville.