Jersey Shore Shell Art Travels Worldwide

went viral after it traveled all the way to Minnesota.

Pam

By Alyssa Riccardi JERSEY SHORE –

What started out as a part-time hobby collecting shells at the beach has grown into a worldwide phenomenon of colorful, decorated shells.

“I’ve always liked to do beach walks and pick up anything in- teresting on the beach. At one point I had so many shells my husband asked me what I was going to do with all of them,” Carrissa Caramico Chapkowski said. “I decided to paint them and give them away. It defi nitely gave

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Linda recounted the discovery of her husband’s heart condition in 2016. Neil’s cardiologist initially perceived Neil’s physical condition as unremarkable and noted his positive track record with regular cardiac assessments.

“I had heard that a cardiac CT scan was the most comprehensive test for the heart and asked the doctor to order one,” shared Linda. “He told me he didn’t think it was indicated and wasn’t sure the insurance company would pay for it. I insisted.”

As it turned out, Linda’s persistence paid off. The CT scan revealed some troublesome areas, and Neil was promptly set up for catheterization and potential placement of a couple of stents. It turns out the problem was worse than expected. Neil had three blockages and needed open heart surgery.

Since the surgery seven years ago, Neil has been under the regular care of his cardiologist in north Jersey. More recently, Neil’s blood pressure started to rise, and the couple figured it was due to stress at work. Neil also noticed that he became increasingly fatigued and couldn’t fi nish his workout routines.

Again, the regular cardiac assessments came back without any issues. In retrospect, Linda can’t help but wonder if she should have pressed for another cardiac CT scan.

Neil’s retirement from his job in April left him with less stress. With the summer months coming, the couple looked forward to spending time at their shore house in

Lavallette. On June 10 at 9 a.m., Linda was upstairs when she heard a strange noise.

“My husband was outside digging a tree,” Linda said. “Apparently, the exertion of digging out a tree is very similar to shoveling snow. People have heart attacks and die.”

According to Linda, Neil felt weak and ready to pass out. He somehow made it into the house and slid himself to the floor. Linda heard a strange sound and came down to fi nd Neil had somehow made it up onto a chair. One look at her husband, and she knew he was in trouble.

Neil told his wife that he couldn’t catch his breath. A call to 911 resulted in an ambulance marked Toms River emergency services arriving within minutes. The dispatcher stayed on the line until she was sure help was there.

Fortunately, the couple’s daughter was staying at a house right up the street and was able to drive her mother to follow the ambulance to Community Medical Center back on the mainland. The reality of the crisis reached a pinnacle when the emergency vehicle came to a halt at the Acme in Ortley Beach.

“As we were rounding the bend on Route 35 to go onto Route 37, we saw them,” said Linda. “The ambulance was there, the Toms River paramedic vehicle and three cop cars.”

Linda immediately knew the situation had become even more dire. As she and her daughter approached the scene, they were directed to head to the hospital. Linda subsequently learned that Neil had coded four times in the ambulance and had been successfully revived by the first responders. En route to the hospital, Linda recalled the last time she’d been inside Community Medical Center. Two decades had passed since Linda visited a patient, and Linda remembered she was not overly impressed. The memories heightened her concerns about the care her husband would receive. However, Linda’s feelings changed almost immediately.

“This was not the same hospital,” Linda shared. “Everything is brand new, and everyone was incredibly efficient.”

During Neil’s open heart surgery, the couple had the advantage of speaking with their son, a medical resident at the University of Pennsylvania. That time around, they had the luxury of carefully choosing the right medical professional. However, in the current situation, they were faced with a crisis, and when Neil reached the hospital, time was of the essence, leaving no room for extended decision-making.

Linda said the hospital’s top interventional cardiologist, Dr. Mohammed Haris Usman, came to speak with her in a small room. He said the plan was to take Neil for catheterization and possible placement of a couple of stents. Dr. Usman spoke with the couple’s doctor son, who advised Linda to sign the papers for the procedure.

The wait seemed indefi nite, but all turned out well in the end. A nurse who had been present in the catheterization lab during the procedure personally guided the family to the ICU waiting room. Linda recounted that the nurse became emotional herself while sharing how resilient Neil had been and highlighting the spirit of teamwork that united them all.

“I cannot sing the praises higher of Toms River Community Hospital,” said Linda. “I read online that the state of the art cath lab was just installed 18-20 months ago with a $2.5 million endowment. That’s what Usman had to work with, and he was also trained at the University of Pennsylvania.”

The frequency with which the doctor and the staff checked on her husband also left Linda impressed. Neil quickly earned the nickname “miracle man” and, fortunately, emerged without any damage to his vital organs.

However, Neil’s hospitalization came with another revelation. He was affl icted with an inherited condition known as familial hyperlipidemia, which had gone undetected until then. Left untreated, this condition can heighten the risk of heart attacks as blood encounters difficulties moving through blood vessels. Thankfully, Neil is now under medication to address this situation.

Linda and Neil are both extremely grateful for the care they received starting with the initial call to 911 and to each and every professional that helped save Neil’s life. However, Linda still wonders what would have happened if the ambulance didn’t respond as quickly as it did. She plans to submit a petition to Toms River authorities asking for round-the-clock coverage on the barrier islands.

Ambulance Coverage

Like most Ocean County towns, volunteers (EMS - See Page 14)

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Continued From Page 1 me an excuse to do more beach walks.” them, I decided to go forward and make the Facebook page.”

Carrissa started painting shells four years ago and decided to share her ideas by creating a Facebook page called “Jersey Shore Shells.” Carrissa said she fi rst had the idea after coming across a similar group in Florida.

Carrissa has lived in the Ocean County area for most of her life, however when she recently moved to South Carolina, she knew she wanted to continue the page.

Since its creation, the Facebook page has garnered 35,650 followers and counting. Jersey Shore Shells encourages those to decorate shells and write a message on the underside with the label “Keep or Re-hide.”

“It’s really about random acts of kindness. You don’t expect anything, you don’t really want anything in return. It’s just trying to make people happy, because if you give someone a little smile maybe they’ll do something nice for somebody else and those acts of kindness will snowball bigger and bigger. I want to spread that positivity,” she explained.

We have painted and hidden 11 shells, four have been found. My fi rst was an ‘adopt don’t shop’ paw print and has changed hands three times now in New Jersey,” Pam said.

One of their shells, which was decorated to represent the Pine Barrens, made its way to White Water State Park in Minnesota. The shell was then shared to the Facebook group and gained over 7,000 likes.

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“I vacation in Florida once a year and I thought it would be nice to paint shells not just one week out of the year, but for the entire year. I thought ‘I can do that too,’” she said. “I had talked to the people who had created a similar Facebook page from Florida and I asked if I could copy some of their ideas they were doing and they were totally ok with it. After speaking with is also very busy.”

“This the first time we came,” Anne Marottoli said. She and her husband Ian live in Leisure Knoll.

“We picked up some cupcakes,” her husband said.

“I picked up some de-caff coffee that I am very happy about,” she added.

Over at the Grow Without Soil DIY Hydroponic Systems table and trailer was Robert Hankins and his son. “We use hydrogen peroxide for disinfecting. We don’t use any chemicals. We have a commercial version of this little (trailer) in Toms River by the Home

Those who have found shells often share their fi ndings to the page, or those painting shells do the same. Carrissa has listed tips and tricks on the page to help those who are interested. She emphasizes to never hide shells in the ocean. If you are going to hide shells in a store, get permission fi rst. And remember, anyone can paint and hide shells.

Depot by the old Boy Scout building. We sell about 2,000 heads (of lettuce) a week out of that facility. We deliver locally to Whiting to Point Pleasant, the barrier island and to down to Lacey, so about a 10-mile radius.”

“We were going to have a local pickup along Route 37 but Covid hit and we lost it so we do the Farmers Markets so people can try it and taste it until we get another location,” Hankins said. “Usually, they will try one of these boxes which is similar to a bag salad but it is a box and you get the equivalent of 2 ½ bags of salad. The difference is that will last four weeks.”

Hankins added, “you are lucky to get four days out of bag salad. It works really well for the retirement people because they don’t eat a whole lot of lettuce.”

Her local initiative has now transformed to a worldwide affair. The idea of painting and hiding shells has gone beyond shore towns in New Jersey; it’s expanded throughout the entire state, country, and even internationally.

Pam Gregory, a New Jersey local, said she started painting shells after her and her daughter Sarah found one in Smithville. “We collect our shells at the Barnegat inlet.

“It grows right here now,” Hankins said as he showed off the interior of the mini-trailer.

“We grow it in here live. We use all organic nutrients and all organic seeds. We don’t use and fungicides, herbicides or pesticides because it is grown indoors and there is no soil and so there are no bugs.”

“Even the gnats - which have been horrible this year - get into the facility, there is no soil so there is no place for them to make a home,” he said.

“We do well here at this farmers market. We only do Brick and Manchester (markets). We do almost as well here as we do in Brick, which is huge,” he added.

You could also pick up some homemade

“I left it at Arney’s Mount in Pemberton, NJ. It was found by a lovely woman named Laurie and taken to Minnesota where she re-hid it. Another lovely girl named Hannah found it and her post took off ! It is being shared by many sites as well as people,” Pam said. “This group is great to communicate with other people. It’s a great hobby, and makes people smile.”

Polish pierogies from Krakus Deli of Phillipsburg and some gourmet scones from Butter Me Up. Some shoppers were cooling off over at Dagastino’s food truck that sold gelato and specialty desserts during the hot summer afternoon.

Local vendor Holly Lafrenier was selling “herbal extracts and mostly herbal teas, salves, lip balm, body butters. I live right over in Pine Lake Park. I have been here since May.”

Lafrenier makes up all the recipes “and I make everything from my home myself.” She brought along her two children. Her daughter Anna Beth and her son Rupert helped her out during the afternoon.

It is hoped that the market will grow in the years to come.