It Was Only A Sore Th roat – But Now Her Whole Life Has Changed Locals Honor Military Who Served And Sacrificed

By Stephanie Faughnan

pointment on January 30, 2023. Following the consultation, the doctor prescribed medication to alleviate Danielle’s discomfort but also advised her to consider in-person medical treatment if her condition did not improve.

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Three Schools Awarded Sustainable Jersey Grants

By Alyssa Riccardi

HOWELL – Three schools within the Howell Township Public School District have been awarded a total of $6,000 in Sustainable Jersey for Schools grants.

The grants are funded by the New Jersey

Education Association (NJEA) which overall have sponsored 11 $10,000 grants and 35 $2,000 grants to New Jersey schools.

These grants go towards supporting projects such as aquaponics systems, outdoor classrooms, pollinator and edible gardens, water bottle refilling stations, sustainability and STEAM education, food waste and composting initiatives, social emotional learning equipment, school green team capacity building and more.

In Howell School Dis- trict, Aldrich, Newbury, and Taunton Elementary Schools were each awarded a $2,000 grant. Aldrich School plans on creating a Sensory Path which will provide a colorful, creative, and playful way for students to build sensory connections in the brain that are responsible for sight, touch, and sound.

“This pathway will enable our students to complete complex, multi-stage tasks and strengthen their motor skills such as balance, hand-eye coordination, (Grants - See Page 4)

By Alyssa Riccardi

HOWELL – Many residents, officials, first responders, and more gathered at Soldier Memorial Park to commemorate Memorial Day.

However, a few days before the annual service and parade kicked-off, local police personnel took part in “Honor Day” at Eagle Oaks Golf Club.

Howell Township Police said that Honor Day was established to recognize our Armed Forces members with a day of golf and a dinner afterward. The event allows kids to learn about law enforcement equipment close up as well as military equipment, all while raising money.

This year, funds went towards Tunnel to Towers, which supports our Nation’s heroes who have made the extraordinary sacrifice in the line of duty. The event raised a record-breaking total of $410,000, Eagle Oaks Golf Club said.

High School and Middle School kids were invited to attend the event and learn about some of the responsibilities and functions the military members perform.

Howell Police Officers Ptl. Bush, Lt. Revilak, Ptl. McBride, Sgt. Hochhauser and Ptl. Higgins attended Honor Day and spent some time with Howell students, showing them some of the equipment that the department uses.

Additionally, U.S. military was represented with helicopters, equipment and a parachute team that had a special “drop in.”

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To Danielle’s dismay, her symptoms not only persisted but intensified, causing excruciating pain. Finally, the sensation of her throat closing up became so overwhelming that Danielle felt prompted to visit an urgent care facility to get checked in person.

Danielle remains a bit hazy regarding what happened during the examination at the urgent care center. Her last memory at that point was a call to her mother, notifying her that she was being rushed to the hospital.

“I gave them my phone and asked them to call my mom and tell them where I was going,” said Danielle. “But they didn’t.”

Sally Amato, a registered nurse, had lots of questions. The sudden escalation of her daughter’s sore throat into an emergency situation left her deeply concerned. Meanwhile, Danielle had moved from home to Philadelphia, and Sally faced the daunting challenge of finding her daughter among the many hospital systems.

The power of friendship and technology united in a stroke of good fortune. Danielle recently went out on a date with a new acquaintance and decided to make sure a friend could find her if things didn’t go right. Through the magic of innovation, Victoria was able to help Sally successfully track down Danielle by finding the location of her smartphone.

Medical records confirm that Danielle’s description of her throat closing up was far from an exaggeration – it was a grim reality. The constriction became so severe that it significantly impaired Danielle’s breathing ability. As a result, her oxygen saturation values plummeted to life-threatening levels.

Doctors ultimately concluded that the root of Danielle’s issues was caused by a bacterial infection known as group A streptococcus. While strep throat diagnoses might seem routine to some, this infection came with a rare and frightening complication. Danielle’s body had been taken over by toxic shock syndrome.

“It was so random and scary,” Danielle shared. “I never had strep throat growing up, and the doctors said that’s what made it worse. They also said I could have died if I didn’t go to that urgent care.”

One of the first steps to save Danielle’s life was putting her on a ventilator. Sally said the Temple University Hospital – Episcopal Campus medical staff explained the necessity to sedate Danielle so she didn’t inadvertently fight the tubes critical to her survival. The throat closure made it even more of a challenge as the breathing tube needed to be inserted in her nose.

Danielle has no recollection of her harrowing experience when she first made it to the hospital. Doctors at the Episcopal Campus decided the young woman needed a higher level of intensive care and arranged for her transfer to another Temple facility at the Jeanes Campus.

“The day of the transfer was a Tuesday,” said Sally. “I called to check on Danielle, and the staff told me the cardiologist was just about to call me. They said they thought Danielle had a heart attack.”

Sally was flabbergasted and pushed for confirmation that the report pertained to her 28-year-old daughter and not someone else in a different room. Regrettably, the infection also began a ruthless attack on Danielle’s organs. Her kidneys were shutting down, and her liver had also fallen victim to the affliction, further exacerbating the gravity of the situation.

Within a couple of days, Danielle went into heart failure, and doctors gave consideration to placing her on a heart-lung machine. This required a transfer to the main campus of Temple University Hospital.

“They had started her on a drug that they continued after they made this transfer,” Sally explained. “They thankfully didn’t need to put her on the machine.”

While Danielle’s liver bounced back, the renal failure meant dialysis for weeks. Finally, less than a month after she’d been put on the ventilator, doctors performed a tracheotomy and weaned her off the machine. When Danielle awoke from her sedated state, she was shocked to see how else the infection had affected her.

The combination of medicines needed to keep her alive and the infection itself had also adversely affected Danielle’s extremities. Insufficient blood flow resulted in the need for numerous amputations.

“I looked down at my fingers and saw they were black,” said Danielle. “I thought I’d burned them.”

Danielle has already experienced the loss of toes on both of her feet, with a more substantial amputation on the right foot. Furthermore, her dominant hand has been completely amputated up to her forearm. While she remains hopeful that the rest of her left hand can be preserved, Danielle anticipates that the fingers on that side will require amputation. Despite the challenges she faces, Danielle’s spirit remains hopeful for the best possible outcome. After months of hospitalization and in-patient rehabilitation with her mother by her side, Danielle was able to come back to her childhood home last month. She set a number (Changed - See Page 12)

Grants:

Continued From Page 1 and spatial awareness. We are extremely grateful to Sustainable Schools NJ and the NJEA for allowing us to turn our visions into reality,” Principal Drew Smith said. At Newbury School, they will be installing a water bottle fi lling station for staff and students.

“Newbury School is so excited to receive the Sustainable grant for our school! Adding a water bottle fi lling station will lead to improved health not only by increasing the intake of water for our students rather than sugary drinks, but also by improving the quality of the water consumed due to having a fi ltered system for water bottle fi lling,” Principal Jim Quinn said. Taunton School will be using their grant for their Farm to Table Imagination Playground project.

“The Taunton School Green Team is extremely grateful to Sustainable Jersey for Schools and the NJEA for awarding our school a $2,000 grant, and we are beyond excited about our ‘Farm to Table Imagination Playground’ project that will teach our primary learners all about sustainable practices and healthy living,” Principal Brook Napoli said. Across the state, NJEA has provided $2 million to support a sustainable future for children through the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program.

“This is an important program that directs resources into our schools and NJEA is proud to continue to work with Sustainable Jersey,” NJEA President Sean Spiller said. “Our job is to help and support this new generation as they continue to become engaged citizens and leaders. By emphasizing the value of sustainability and healthy practices, which often go hand-in-hand with economic efficiencies, we help ensure that we leave a better world for our children’s children.”

“These grants are designed to jump start sustainability projects that will have a far-reaching impact focused on New Jersey and our school communities,” Sustainable Jersey Executive Director Randall Solomon said. “We applaud the schools and districts ready to implement these innovative sustainability projects and thank NJEA for providing the crucial fi nancial support that will allow these visionary ideas to come to life.”

Military:

Continued From Page 1

On Memorial Day, the Township held a service gathered at Soldier Memorial Park. The day was marked by the Howell Township Police Honor Guard, who made the presentation of arms. The Police Honor Guard as well as the Motor Officers were also present at the 50th Annual Farmingdale Memorial Day Parade.

The Honor Guard Officers are Ptl. Nate Headd (Army), Ptl. Dan Scherbinski, Lt. Jack Headley (Marines), Ptl. Maureen McBride, and Cpl. Rob Ortenzi. The Motor Officers were Ptl. Mike Silvani and Ptl. John Wooley.

Also present at the parade were various Howell Township volunteer Fire and EMS personnel and the Howell Rebels Marching Band.

2023 Bulk Pickup

HOWELL – Bulk trash is collected by appointment only. The program runs through early October. Please call the Department of Public Works office for specific dates as well as to schedule an appointment: -732938-4500 ext. 2450 or fill out the Bulk Pickup Request Form at twp.howell.nj.us/ FormCenter/Howell-Township-Community-Forms-3/Bulk-Pickup-Request-Form-63

The bulk trash collection program is for household items such as: furniture, carpet, appliances and electronics. They do not accept construction debris, hazardous waste, car parts, tires, concrete, brick or any recyclable items. Bulk pick-up is limited to one pick-up truck load per appointment.

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