Countless students and school employees at Monroe Township High School came together June 13 to celebrate the life of Daniel Lorenzo, and to make sure his legacy lives on.
JEFF GRANIT staff Diane Lorenzo is consoled by Monroe Township High School Principal Robert Goodall Friday when officials dedicated a plaque in the school garden to her son, Daniel, 18, who died April 2 after battling cancer. He was a senior a the school. “My son fought hard to beat his cancer,” Daniel’s mom, Diane, said. “I am very proud of him. He would be very proud to know what his classmates are doing in his honor.”
Daniel, who died of cancer April 2 at the age of 18, was a senior at Monroe Township High School. In order to honor his memory, school officials designated June 13 Daniel Lorenzo Day and dedicated a plaque in his name in a garden outside the school.
Students and school employees purchased T-shirts and wristbands with Daniel’s name on them, which they wore that day. The proceeds of both items, totaling $1,500, went to the Daniel John Lorenzo Foundation, started by the Lorenzos to help provide “mini wishes” for teenage cancer sufferers.
“Our goal is to help teenagers, because there are a lot of things to help younger kids, but not much for teenagers,” Diane Lorenzo said.
Despite his illness, Daniel was able to enjoy life to the fullest extent during his last months. According to Diane, he was able to do all the things he did before cancer, up until the last two weeks of his life.
Daniel was first diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, an extremely rare form of muscular cancer, inMarch 2005, at the age of 15. After surgery and chemotherapy, Daniel was cancer-free until
last summer.
“He was good until the very end,” Diane said. “This past summer was the most wonderful summer ever.”
Throughout the summer of last year, Daniel had the opportunity to take a number of trips. He enjoyed jet skiing, riding quads, playing the video game “Halo,” spending time with his girlfriend, Angela Small, 17, and having sleepovers with friends.
Junior Dragster racing was one of Daniel’s greatest passions. From the age of 8, he took part in the sport at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. He won races and championship titles there, also racing across the country and in Canada. Daniel’s last competition at Raceway Park was on his birthday, March 9, his first time in a full-sized car on a quarter-mile track. Family and friends also threw a surprise party for him that day.
Friday’s dedication ceremony for Daniel Lorenzo at the school garden. Daniel loved the sport so much that his family decided to scatter his ashes on the track. In a written statement about Daniel, Raceway Park officials called him one of the track’s “best friends.”
On Memorial Day weekend, Raceway Park joined with the Lorenzo family to help raise money for the foundation. A lemonade stand in Daniel’s honor, combined with proceeds from donated items raffled to those in attendance, yielded about $3,000 for the cause that Sunday. Donated items included an Xbox 360 game system, a Blu-ray disc player and signed baseballs from the Mets and Yankees.
This weekend, the Lucas Oil NHRA Supernationals will bring professional racing teams to Raceway Park. Each of the teams is going to make some type of donation to the foundation, Diane said.
JEFF GRANIT staff Daniel also received help during his life. The Embrace Kids Foundation, for example, provided support while he was receiving treatment at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
“They did great things for Dan, and we want to do the same kinds of things,” Diane said.
During his illness, someone donated the use of a time-share in the Poconos, and another gave $1,500 for spending money on the trip. When Daniel wanted a couch in his room, Embrace Kids got it for him.
Diane said she and her son became best friends during the course of his illness, spending lots of time together. Daniel never complained about his illness, nor did he let it stop him from living his life, she said. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he praised the courage of children suffering from cancer.
“My son always used to tell me, ‘These are the real heroes, these kids here,’” Diane said.
When doctors told Diane and her husband Dan that their son had only up to two weeks to live, they made a decision not to tell him the bleak news. He lived for exactly one week after that, and though he was ill, those last days were filled with love from all those who cared for him, including his parents, sisters Alexa, 20, and Stephanie, 13, and other family and friends.
Angela was with Daniel every day, Diane said, bringing him his favorite pina colada Slurpees from 7-Eleven. The day before he died, she brought him a card signed by all the students in his class. That night, the family all sat and talked together on the back deck of their home.
While nothing could make Daniel’s passing an easy thing to endure, the Lorenzo family finds solace in the fact that he went peacefully.
“He laid back and he relaxed, and we just held him in our arms for about four hours, and then he passed,” Diane said.
At one point before he died, Daniel had his head to one side, and seemed to be talking to someone, saying “yes,” Diane said.
“He said, ‘Ma, somebody’s calling me,’” Diane said. “It’s like somebody came and got him, and I felt good about that.”
Keeping Daniel’s name alive is one thing that helps Diane and the family to keep going, she said.
“It helps a little, because most days … I don’t even want to get out of the bed,” Diane said. “Some days I just cry the whole day, and some days I can think straight.”
Though there are some days when Diane can barely stand to talk about the loss of her son, she said it helps to get her feelings out by discussing it. Some people, not knowing how to deal with the issue, avoid her because they just do not know what to say, Diane said.
Thankfully, others who were a part of Daniel’s life are not only still around, but also more than happy to help with the foundation. His cousins,Alex and Brianna Malvone, Brianna’s boyfriend Matt Lizzo, and Daniel’s best friend Zachary Wisnowski all give their time to honor his memory, Diane said.
“These kids worked so hard to arrange the Daniel Lorenzo Day, as well as working at the fundraisers,” Diane said. “Without them, this would not have been possible.”
The foundation has already received a couple requests for help on behalf of those in their targeted age group. One was a 22- year-old female cancer patient who had lost her hair due to chemotherapy. Her wig fell apart, and children’s organizations would not help with the $500 cost of getting a new one.
While she was able to acquire a new wig, the teens involved in the foundation told Diane they would like to try to do something else for the 22-year-old mother of a baby. Diane agreed, and the group is planning something special for the young woman.
“You don’t stop loving your kids when they turn 18, 22, 35,” Diane said.
To donate, make checks out to the Daniel John Lorenzo Foundation, and send to 18 Spotswood Ave., Monroe Township, NJ 08831.