Local Lifesaver

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Local Lifesaver

Written by Cory Twibell, ctwibell@antonnews.com Friday, 08 March 2013 00:00

Hicksville native and firefighter Doug Chiz knows what it takes to save a life – only in this case, he wasn’t battling a raging inferno.

Chiz was coming to the aid of teenager Angela Rugh, who was battling cancer.

In 2007, Chiz, a 2001 Hicksville High School grad, added his name to the National Bone Marrow Registry as he was finishing his training at the FDNY Probationary Firefighter Academy. All 236 of Chiz’s fellow firefighters added their names to the list, which required only a simple cheek swab, and Chiz was told the odds of being a possible match were slim.

Bone marrow and stem cell donor, Doug Chiz, of Hicksville, is shown with Angela Rugh, recipient of the lifesaving donations. Less than six months later, Chiz got the call. Rugh, of Jeanette, Penn., was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 16 and turned out to be Chiz’s bone marrow match.

“I was asked if I would be willing to donate bone marrow or stem cells and the choice of the two dependent on the recipient’s needs. There was only one answer, the answer that coincides with the core values of the FDNY – this was an opportunity to save a life,” said Chiz.

On Feb. 14, 2008, Chiz psyched himself up to give the gift of life via bone marrow collection, a painful process in which doctors poked at Chiz’s lower back nearly 100 times.

“The day of and the weeks following the collection procedure were definitely uncomfortable, but my only thought at the time was that my pain paled in comparison to what this brave girl was going through,” Chiz, a member of FDNY Ladder 136, explained.

The decision to donate bone marrow – the soft, spongy substance that fills bone cavity where blood is produced – was an easy one for Chiz.

“I was being given a once in a lifetime chance to help another person, or so I thought,” said Chiz, who received another phone call in 2010 to donate.

This time around, doctors left Chiz’s bone marrow alone but harvested his stem cells. The recipient, though, remained unchanged: Angela Rugh.

Rugh, a 23-year-old psychology major currently studying at the University of Pittsburgh, and Chiz recently met at FDNY Headquarters in Brooklyn, where donor and recipient embraced as one.

“I would do it all again if given the chance,” Chiz said.

News

Hicksville Native Wins FIT Award

Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00

Hicksville native Jae Lee recently rose to the top of his senior class at New York Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), winning the Critic Award for sportswear. But fashion wasn’t the path that Lee originally chose.

In high school, Lee excelled in art classes and thought that he wanted to go to college and major in fine arts. However, he said, it was while watching an episode of “Project Runway” that he had a revelation. “All of a sudden I was thinking that it was something I could/should do and that’s what kind of led to it,” he said. He made up his mind that he was going to apply to fashion school and enlisted the help of one of his art teachers in school to help him. “We really scrambled and put together this presentation in about two weeks, where other people, I’m sure, worked on theirs for months,” he said. Lee said that when he went to present his portfolio, he didn’t think the meeting went well at all. “Everyone was really well prepared,” he said. But, he admitted, it must have gone better than he thought, because he was accepted to FIT.

WWII Armor Museum Opens

Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00

In the face of cancelled air shows and the downgrading of NYC’s Fleet Week, Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano announced on May 9, that American soldiers will be forever honored on Long Island through the creation of the Museum of American Armor to be built at Old Bethpage Village Restoration thanks, in part, to a million dollar gift from Lawrence Kadish.

“We are watching powerful tributes to our American military reduced or eliminated across the nation and its just plain wrong,” stated County Executive Mangano. “Fortunately, the Memorial Day weekend air show at Jones Beach will be held regardless of the loss of the Thunderbirds, but Fleet Week in New York City will be greatly diminished and across the country air shows are being cancelled weekly. Nassau County is moving in another direction. An armor museum that honors every American soldier will be created on county property this year which will not only pay tribute to those who have defended our nation but will also strengthen the county’s tourism and destination industry and provide a new source of revenue.”

Sports

For The Love Of Tennis

Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00

Hicksville residents honored by tennis association

The U.S. Tennis Association Long Island Region has recognized several Hicksville residents for their tennis playing or volunteering achievements. The group was honored at the USTA Long Island Region’s 23rd Annual Awards Dinner, which recognizes superior efforts both on and off the tennis court.

Terry Fontana received the Vitas Gerulaitis for the Love of Tennis award. She has been a longtime fixture in the Hicksville tennis community and is the driving force behind the Hicksville Community Tennis Association (CTA), which, since 1995, has been promoting the development of tennis as a means of healthy recreation and physical fitness and to create a community resource for physical activity throughout the area.

Lady Comets Honor Departing Seniors

Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00

It was a cold season for softball this year, colder than usual. Anyone who knows the sport recognizes that the weather can be changeable, but this softball season was fraught with snow, pouring rain, cancelled games, frigid temperatures, and blowing winds that would cause any team to crave the warmth of indoors.

That wasn’t the case with the Hicksville High School Lady Comets Varsity Softball team. They played through it all like champions, and endured the rough weather like superstars.