CNJ+ May 2023

MAY 2023 ISSUE 146

FORMERLY THE MILLSTONE TIMES WE ARE CONTINUING TO GROW TO SERVE YOUR NEEDS

Timmy’s Story: A SENSORY FRIENDLY BIRTHDAY FULL STORY ON PAGE 4

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2 CNJ+ | FORMERLY THE MILLSTONE TIMES

MAY 2023

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Timmy’s Story: A SENSORY FRIENDLY BIRTHDAY By, Pam Teel Young Author Tim Rohrer, who has overcome many obstacles in his life due to his autism, is set to release his second children’s book. The book is a sequel to his first book, Timmy’s Story: A Story About Autism and Friendship . His first book, focuses on inclusion, and is based on his own past life experiences. His second book, Timmy’s Story: A Sensory Friendly Birthday, also is a reflection of his past, and teaches one about autism through the eyes of someone who lived it. For those with autism, sensory sensitivities may make birthday parties difficult to enjoy. Tim’s second book tells a true story, with that in mind, about how his teacher and his classmates made his birthday party one that he could enjoy. Tim’s brother Daniel, who is a senior at Allentown High School, is doing his senior practicum helping behind the scenes of “Tips4Inclusion.” He did the book editing for his brother. Tim has not only become an author but a speaker, self-advocate, and educator of disabilities. He has been asked to speak at schools, conferences, and has also received a commendation from the NJ State Senate and Assemblymen. He is also a managing partner of a teen founded nonprof it organization called 5Help Foundation. To learn more about Tim and the amazing resources he created, check out his website at: https://tips4inclusion.wixsite.com/disabilityinclusion. Tim’s new book is now available to purchase on Amazon.

4 CNJ+ | FORMERLY THE MILLSTONE TIMES

MAY 2023

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The Monroe Chess Club was created to fill a void that exists for Chess players and Chess enthusiasts in Monroe, New Jersey. The Monroe Chess Club is committed to promoting the game of chess and providing a welcoming and inclusive community for chess players of all lev els. Our mission is to create a space where players can come together to learn, play, and improve their skills in a fun and supportive environment. We believe that chess is a powerful tool for developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, and we strive to promote these benefits to our members and the wider community. Our goal is to foster a culture of sports manship, teamwork, and camaraderie among our members and fellow chess players through friendly competition and collaborative learning. We are ded icated to creating opportunities for chess players to connect with each other, share their love of the game, and build lasting friendships.

All chess players are welcome to come play, member or not. Members will enjoy periodic newsletters, game recording and analysis (for bragging rights), registration priority for in-house tournaments, discounts on merchandise, and more, and best of all, membership is FREE! To join, please email Paul, at tention Membership, to: chess@monroechessclub.com. The Monroe Chess Club meets and plays OTB (over the board) at JamesBrew Cafe, located at 22 W Railroad Ave, Jamesburg 08831 on Thursday Evenings from 4-6pm. Just bring a board and play! https://www.instagram.com/monroechessclub/ | https://www.facebook.com/monroe.chess.club.nj/

6 CNJ+ | FORMERLY THE MILLSTONE TIMES

MAY 2023

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8 CNJ+ | FORMERLY THE MILLSTONE TIMES

MAY 2023

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Shilpa Gidugu

Shilpa Gidugu, now in the last quarter of her high school career, is taking time to reflect on all that has been her experience thus far. The self-proclaimed “adrenaline junkie” likes anything to do with adventure; hiking being one of her favorite pastimes, she also loves traveling and hopes to one day have seen all 7 continents of the world. Beyond this, she enjoys expressing her culture through Indian and western styles of dancing and singing. Gidugu has been a recurring recipient of the principal’s list and honor roll achieve ments, maintaining principal’s list recognition throughout her entire freshman year and honor roll for the latter of her high school years. She’s also a proud member of the Na tional and Math, Spanish, and Tri-M Music honors societies. She currently serves as the Math Honors Society’s Vice President, but previously held an officer position as Vice President of the Spanish Honors Society during her junior year. In doing so, Gidugu helped raise over $2,000 for a non-profit organization called “Oper ation Smile” through the society’s annual dance-a-thon event held in late February. She continued to explore her passion for Spanish outside of the society by qualifying for the New Jersey State Seal of Biliteracy in the language. Throughout her sophomore year, Gidugu worked on the Environmental Action Club’s board as Co-President and was involved in club activities like the annual Green Fair and yearly beach clean-ups at Asbury Park. She also competed in multiple areas of FBLA events at the National level through the school as well. Working a job to mentor kids in Monroe, she also did this for middle and high school aged students as part of being an NHS member. Through a local non-profit, Agraj Seva Kendra, Gidugu completes more tutoring and even plays cricket games with children who have disabilities. She recalls her favorite memory from high school as being a trip she took to Broadway for chorus all the way back to her freshman year where she “watched Aladdin and even learned part of the medley and sang with some of the actors before the show. I got some autographs and a Jafar shirt. I got to sing, watch one of my favorite Disney films on broadway (which was my first time), and spent time with my friends.” With a clear passion in biology, Gidugu always had a goal in mind of becoming a healthcare professional and more specifically, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Being an EAC member and presenting work of hers at an EXPO science fair her freshman year has helped confirm this passion of hers. While she remains undecided on her college of choice, Gidugu is set on majoring in biology and attending dental school at either Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences or Northeastern-Bouvé College of Health Sciences starting in the fall of 2023..

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MAY 2023

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RICHARD FRAN BIEGENWALD: One of New Jersey’s Worst Serial Killers By, Surabhi Ashok Richard Fran Biegenwald, or the “Thrill Killer” as he was called, was convicted of killing 5 people from 1958 to 1982. His first murder occurred when he was only 18 years old, when he robbed a grocery store in Bayonne, New Jersey and shot the owner Stephen Sladowski in 1958. Although he was arrested and sentenced to life, Biegenwald was granted parole on good behavior almost 16 years later. However this “good behavior” did not last long. Only 8 years later, Biegenwald shot an 18 year-old girl four times after luring her from the boardwalk with marijuana. Annie Olesiewicz’s body was then deposited behind a Burger King and was only found five months later. Between 1981 and 1982, Biegenwald was confirmed with killing three young teenage girls, Annie Olesciewicz, Maria Caillella, and Deborah Osborne, and another drug dealer named William Ward. Caillella and Osborne’s dismembered bodies were buried in the yard on the side of Biegenwald’s mother’s house in Staten Island. Ward, a prisoner along side Biegenwald, was buried in Neptune City, New Jersey with five bullets in his head. Despite tips from Biegenwald’s friends linking him to nine murders, the Thrill Killer was convicted and arrested of only five due to a lack of concrete evi dence. On the day of Biegenwald’s arrest, January 22, 1983, police found a pipe bomb, various types of guns, Rohypnol, marijuana, and more incriminating items in his house in Asbury Park. Biegenwald died from respiratory and kidney failure in 2008 at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. Source: https://www.app.com/picture-gallery/news/crime/2018/06/11/nj-serial-killers-the-6-most-notorious-serial-killers-in-nj/35718837/ https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/nyregion/11biegenwald.html https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/biegenwald.htm

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12 CNJ+ | FORMERLY THE MILLSTONE TIMES

MAY 2023

A CHILD’S TRIBULATION Living with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia By, Pam Teel

Third grader, Emelina Sergentakis, has already been through so much in her eight years of life. Having been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when she was three years old, Emelina is cur rently on her second battle with the disease. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells. Cancer starts in the bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside the bones, where blood cells are produced. These cells fight infection and help protect the body against disease. Also known as, acute lymphocytic leu kemia, patients with (ALL) have too many immature white blood cells in their bone marrow. These cells crowd out normal white blood cells. Without enough normal white blood cells, the body has a harder time fighting infections. ALL affects a type of white blood cell, lymphocytes, causing them to build up in the liver, spleen and lymph nodes. When this happens, blood cell production becomes out of control. The bone marrow produces immature cells that develop into leukemic white blood cells called lymphoblasts. These abnormal cells are unable to function properly, and they can build up and crowd out healthy cells. Unfortunately, ALL is the most common type of childhood cancer. It most often occurs in children ages 3 to 5 and affects slightly more boys than girls. About 3,000 people younger than age 20 are found to have this type of leukemia each year in the United States alone. Emelina’s first diagnose with the disease was in December, 2017. Her symptoms were frequent fevers and bruises on her belly. After the diagnose, Emelina went into treatment, of which she completed in March, 2020. The disease just didn’t impact her physically, but mentally as well. She had to leave her friends and her school and give up what she loved to do the most, dancing, in order to undergo extensive chemotherapy, but according to her mom, Janine, Emelina always found a way to make the best out of a bad situation. Since her cir cumstances had changed, she became more involved with the people in the hospital and loved talking and interacting with them. When she was starting to feel like herself again, covid hit. It was tough for her because, after spending a good amount of time quarantined in the hospital, she was now restricted again in many ways. She was really happy when she was able to get back to school and to dance classes. Symptoms of ALL include; frequent infections, fever, easy bruising, bleeding that is hard to stop, flat, dark-red skin spots (petechiae) due to bleeding under the skin, pain in the bones or joints, lumps in the neck, underarm, stomach or groin, pain or fullness below the ribs, weakness, fatigue, paleness, loss of appetite, and shortness of breath. About 98% of children with ALL go into remission within weeks after starting treatment. About 90% of those children can be cured. Patients are considered cured after 10 years in remission. Short of a year later, while still in second grade, Emelina started getting body aches and fevers again. In November, 2021, she relapsed. The leukemia had come back. Next came forty -six days in the hos pital undergoing extreme chemotherapy. (The chemo is much harsher the second time around.) She battled sepsis, neuropathy, and chemo neurotoxicity that caused encephalopathy. She was in a con stant state of seizures and unable to communicate with her parents and older sister, Evangeline. She spent two of those weeks in the ICU and was sedated to let her body heal. When Emelina came to, she couldn’t walk or hold her head up on her own. Her speech was slurred and she was experiencing

double vision. At the end of 2021, Janine, and her husband, John, got her home for Christmas and worked extensively with her to get her walking again. They also did a lot of Lego’s and other things that focused on her fine motor skills. It took a few months, but by February, Emelina bounced back and was able to go back to do what she loved to do the most, dance. She was still in the intense part of treatment. She still could not compete, but she danced as much as her health allowed her to. Emelina is currently on maintenance chemotherapy, which allows for a more normal life, meaning she can go to school and go to dance classes. Just recently, Emelina had her final competition of the season at Step -by -Step Dance Studio, in Millstone Township. She took first place in overall honors; considering just two short years ago, she lost her ability to walk or talk. One thing for sure, even after two bouts with the cancer, and then extensive che motherapy, Emelina is a fighter. Congratulations on taking first place in overall honors in your dance class, Emelina. Keep doing what you love to do and keep on fighting. We are all rooting for you!

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Dr. Steven Linker, OD

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14 CNJ+ | FORMERLY THE MILLSTONE TIMES

MAY 2023

KNEE PAIN Dr. Scott Paris

QUESTION: What’s the best way to treat knee arthritis? Consider a non-surgical treatment that really works!

O s teoarthritis of the knee is the #1 leading cause of disability in the U.S. Over 27 million people suffer with knee arthritis and that number continues to grow. With knee arthritis, the cartilage breaks down and wears away, leaving the bones to rub together causing pain swelling stiffness and limited range of motion. As the cartilage breaks down, the knee loses its lubricating fluid. We found that by replacing this lubricating fluid with a natural substance called Hyaluronate, the lubrication is restored and many patients experience amazing pain relief.

DOES IT HURT? Many of our patients report that they feel little to no pain at all! We do everything possible to minimize any pain from the procedure, from pain relieving spray and a local anesthetic, to precision guidance that ensures we are always in the right spot. WILL MY INSURANCE COVER HYALURONATE? This procedure is covered by most major insurance companies including Medicare. Our insurance department pre-verifies every patient. WHO WILL BE PERFORMING THE HYALURONATE PROCEDURE? Dr. Scot Paris is the medical physician who performs the Hyaluronate injection. Dr. Paris is trained as a general surgeon and has extensive experience with a variety of surgical procedures. With his conservative approach, he has excelled in the non-surgical treatment of knee pain with the use of fluoroscopy guided Hyaluronate injections. SO HOW DO I KNOW IF YOUR KNEE PAIN TREATMENT PROGRAM WILL HELP ME? If you are tired of suffering with painful arthritis of the knee, and you want to see if the latest advances in non-surgical treatment can help, all you have to do is call 732-683-1800 to set up a risk free consultation. During the consultation

WHAT IS HYALURONATE AND HOW DOES IT WORK? Hyaluronate is a natural lubricating fluid that acts as a lubricant and shock absorber inside the knee joint. The substance in Hyaluronate is normally found in high levels in healthy joints. Replacing the hyularonic acid with Hyaluronate lubricates the joint and reduces pain. Hyaluronate has been administered over 40 million times and has been proven to provide long-lasting relief of knee pain from osteoarthritis. WHAT IF YOU ALREADY TRIED KNEE INJECTIONS? If you have had injections like this in the past and experienced poor results, there is still hope! Many doctors in this area offer similar injections, but very few use precision fluoroscopy guidance. Fluoroscopy guidance ensures that the pain relieving Hyaluronate reaches the knee capsule where it bonds with the joint fluid to create a lubricating and cushioning layer. Without fluoroscopy, it is estimated that doctors “miss” the capsule over 30% of the time resulting in poor results. We want each and every one of our patients to have the greatest chance of success, so every injection is done with precision fluoroscopy guidance to ensure that the Hyaluronate gets into the capsule 100% of the time. Because of this, patients who previously felt little to no relief with non-flouroscopy guided injection are now getting excellent results. The other “big difference” in our results is the multitude of other supportive care options that we have available to enhance the effectiveness of the Hyaluronate procedure. These options include state of the art medical laser treatment, physical therapy, manipulation, corrective osteoarthritis bracing (takes pressure off the damaged section of the knee), and natural anti-inflammatory products. The combination of these treatments offers you what we feel is the most comprehensive non-surgical knee treatment program available.

all of your questions will be answered in a warm and friendly environment. Knee replacement surgery is a very extreme measure to take without considering all of your other options first. Once it’s done there is no turning back. For that reason we encourage you to schedule an appointment to see if you are a candidate for Hyaluronate treatment.

We are proud to offer our patients a comprehensive knee pain treatment program that includes the best non surgical methods to relieve pain all under one roof. We look forward to having the opportunity to help you feel better. Take the first step in ending your knee pain and call to schedule an appointment today!

Dr. Scott Paris using precision fluoroscopy guidance to ensure the best results possible.

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The Most Meaningful Way to CELEBRATE YOUR TEACHER In classrooms all across America, long hours of curriculum are taught, thou sands of papers are graded each day, yet teachers still find the time to constant ly brainstorm strategies to support their diverse student population. They stay up late answering emails and stay after class to help a struggling student. On any given day, a teacher may wear the hat of educator, mediator, cheerleader, advocate, disciplinarian, nurse, counselor, and so much more. For many of us, there is no greater job! If you were to ask these teachers why they entered the field of education, many would cite their dreams of making a difference and changing the lives of their students. However, if you were to ask them why they stay in the field, many would most likely cite the students that have changed their lives. In service, we often find that those we serve in fact give more back to us. Teaching has become one of the most stressful occupations in the U.S.; teach ers reported a daily stress rate tied with nurses as the highest among all occupa tional groups. This daily stress can sadly lead to burn out and teacher turnover. However, if you were to ask a teacher why they have persisted, they will most likely answer with a story. They will tell you about their most challenging stu dent with a heart of gold, the student who graduated against all odds, or the one they believe they have failed. It is these stories of “triumph and despair” that remind educators why they do what they do. There are many creative and clever ways to celebrate your teacher, but the most heartfelt and meaningful way would be to add to their story. Sincere letters of gratitude can often still be found in their desks or at home on display as a source of light in their rough seasons. I know not only because I asked, but because I have my own. The cherished notes or pictures can pull teachers through the most stressful times and remind them why teaching can be one of the most re warding occupations out there. So, how can you celebrate your teacher? Simple. Tell them why they are worth celebrating! Julie Richardson serves as a school psychologist at Henry Barnard Labortory School in Rhode Island. She is a U.S. Department of Education School Ambassa dor Fellow.

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I REMEMBER MOM: Remembering Mom’s Old Rocking Chair By, Richard Mabey Jr.

I think that old homesteads have a life unto themselves. I know that this will be a bit of a con troversial statement to many. But I think that the breath, the fiber, the vibrations, the rhythm, the essence of an old homestead has a certain unique and wondrous personality. A certain calling, a feeling, a remnant essence of the people who once occupied the home. It was a most uncanny thing that my dear and sweet great grandmother, Dora Mabey, found great solace and comfort in the rocking chair that graced the living room of the old Mabey Homestead. It was uncanny, that my dear, kind mother, Janey Mabey, also found solace and comfort in spending time sitting upon a rocking chair that was almost in the exact same place where Great Grandma Mabey’s old rocking chair was placed for decades. My mom loved to crotchet colorful afghan blankets. I remember, growing up in the old Mabey Homestead, that all so many wonderful afghans filled the rooms of my house, includ ing the bedrooms. They simply abounded in the home.

I was five years old, when Mom would rock my baby sister, Patti, to sleep. Mom would sing lullabies to Patti to help her fall into the comfort of deep sleep. No doubt, the back-and-forth movement of Mom’s old rocking chair also helped my sister to drift into restful dreamland. My dad, from time to time, referenced the Twilight Zone feeling that his grandmother rocked him to sleep in a rocking chair that was set in almost the exact place in the living room, as Mom had her rocking chair placed at. Now, at 68 years old, and basically retired from working a 48-hour workweek, I have the time now to ponder and contemplate how uniquely strange and eerie it is that my mom’s rocking chair was in practically the exact place as my great grandmother kept her rocking chair. There was a time period in my life, when I lived alone in the old Mabey Homestead for long periods of time. Mom and Dad would often take car rides out to Nevada to visit Dad’s older brother, Edward and his wife Joy. My sister Patti was attending seminary. To be alone, in the wee hours of the night, in the old Mabey Homestead, was often a most eerie and haunting experience. I remember something would awaken me in the middle of the night. I could hear, downstairs from the living room, the sound of the old rocking chair squeaking. It was a most unsettling feeling. This was in the midst of the 1980’s. At the time, I worked in the Public Relations Department at AT&T, in Morristown. Work began at eight o’clock sharp. I would make it a point, to be at my desk by at least quarter to eight every morning. This meant waking up at five-thirty in the morning, because I always liked to leave my house at six-thirty, just in case there was a lot of traffic that morning. I would have oatmeal for breakfast, every morning. I often remember sitting at the kitchen table of the old Mabey Homestead, eating breakfast at about six o’clock and hearing the subtle sound of the squeaking of Mom’s old rocking chair in the living room. Can any of us really say what really governs the essence, the feeling, the spirit of an old homestead? If you have ever stepped foot into an older home, you probably know exactly what I am talking about. My great grandfather, William Mabey, built the old Mabey Homestead in 1890. It still stands today. As a child, in grade school, I would often read the funny pages of the newspaper on the floor of the old Mabey Homestead. I would often lie down, face down, buried in the Sunday funnies. I distinctly remember looking up from reading Barney Google, to see Mom crocheting another colorful afghan blan ket. Today, that memory brings great comfort to my heart. Hold dear to heart, your own unique truth of all things beyond scientific explanation. Know that God cannot be limited. Love cannot be boxed in. Could it be that the love of my beloved great grandmother, beckoned to my mom to place her rocking chair in practically the exact same place that Great Grandma Mabey had kept her own rocking chair? There are some things that are simply unexplainable. Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@hotmail.com. Please put on the subject line: I Remember Mom. My dear, sweet mom sitting upon her old rocking in the living room of the old Mabey Homestead.

22 CNJ+ | FORMERLY THE MILLSTONE TIMES

MAY 2023

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ALLENTOWN ROBOTICS PEDDIE ROBOTICS WIN AT SENECA! Along with their partners from Burlington Township High School robotics team #5457, the Allentown Redbird Robotics team #1807 and The Peddie School Robotics team #5895 took the coveted win at the First Robotics District Seneca Event. The First Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics tournament organized by First where high school students are tested to build industrial-size robots to play within a challenging field game in alliance with other teams. First announces the concept and rules of each new game in Janu ary and then the robotic teams have only six weeks to design and build their robots. Students at Allentown High School fall under First’s Mid-Atlantic region and competed most recently during Week Four of the competition at the District Seneca event at Seneca high school in Tabernacle, NJ on March 25th and 26th. Redbird Robotics was one of 31 high school robotics teams competing. Redbird Robotics is a student run team and they designed and built their robot, this year named “Thunderbird.” This year’s game, “Charged Up,” has two alliances of three teams each competing to score cubes and cones into their grid to charge up their community. There is a charging station on each side of the field and the alliances earn additional points if their robots are docked to or engaged with their charge station. Robots start each match in their community and they can be preloaded with either one cube or one cone. During the first 15 seconds of the match, robots are autonomous and the high school robotics teams have programmed their robots to work on their own to score preloaded game pieces. After the 15 seconds are up the drivers and the operators take control of their robots for the next two minutes and fifteen seconds trying to collect cubes and cones to place on the grids within their community. Each commu nity contains three grids. The robots need to connect links which is a line of three game pieces scored on the same row. Completing enough links will earn the alliance extra points. As time runs out the robots’ race to their charging platform where they must balance to charge the station and if they do they earn more points. The alliance that scores the most points wins the match! Each alliance team is comprised of three robotics teams and they compete in 12 qualification matches during the events. The Peddie School was ranked first in the competition at Seneca and selected to team up with Redbird Robotics and Burlington’s team for the play-offs. This strong alliance made it to the Finals where they then won the Seneca Competition and received the sought-after

First Robotics blue banner to bring back to their schools. In addition to winning the Seneca competition Redbird Robotics also took home the desired Engineering Inspiration award, which commends exceptional success in “advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school or organization and community.” Team #1807 was formed in 2006 and is comprised of 50 students. There are seven divisions that make up the team: Design, Machining, Build, Electrical, Programming, Strategy and Business. The team is mentored by Mr. Robert Tackett, an engineering teacher at Allentown High School and Mr. Matthew Jasaitis, a physics teacher.

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