Edison turns teal for cancer awareness
Edison resident battles cancer; Turn the Town Teal campaign is in its third year
BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer
On the surface, it seemed like Dorinda Sparacio had it all. She was a teacher at St. Joseph High School, Metuchen, and was happily married to her husband Nicholas, with whom she had two children.

PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff With her husband Nicholas (l) by her side, Edison resident Dorinda Sparacio (r) talks with the media prior to a short press conference conducted outside of the Edison Municipal Complex on Sept. 1.

Near the end of the 2004-05 school year, Dorinda felt a sharp pain in her right abdominal area during one school day. At first she wasn't overly concerned, but then the pain never subsided. That's when she decided to go to a doctor to see what the real problem was.

Two months after her visit, she was told what was causing her problems.

"I thought that if it was going to be cancer, it'd be breast cancer," said Dorinda, whose sister died from the disease a decade earlier. "I had no idea that I'd eventually be diagnosed with ovarian cancer."

On July 29, 2005, Sparacio, who was diagnosed with type 3 ovarian cancer, underwent a hysterectomy, and later in the year she started chemotherapy at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey in New Brunswick under the guidance of Drs. Lorna Rodriguez and Darlene Gibbon.

ERIC SUCAR staff Edison resident Dorinda Sparacio talks with the media prior to a short press conference conducted outside of the Edison Municipal Complex on Sept. 1. Sparacio continues to battle ovarian cancer and also continues her unyielding drive to create awareness of the disease. She led the campaign to place teal ribbons on trees at the complex and in the township's Clara Barton section as part of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

Sparacio knew full well what would happen once the treatments commenced.

"I knew there'd be hair loss involved, of course," Sparacio explained. "And then the fatigue that comes along with it was also difficult."

She finished her treatments in March of the following year and was cancer-free until October of last year, when the old demons came back into her system. The following month, prior to another round of chemotherapy, Sparacio had her spleen removed and her liver re-sectioned, meaning that part of the organ was removed from her body entirely. At the start of the new year, she resumed chemotherapy, and by April of this year she was out of harm's way once again.

"Not only am I over the cancer right now, but my hair is growing back in and it feels great," Sparacio said.

As part of her fight against the disease, Sparacio and others have joined in the Kaleidoscope of Hope Foundation's (KOH) Turn the Towns Teal campaign as part of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in Edison, which is in its third year of participation. Sparacio and others recently put teal ribbons on trees throughout the municipal complex and along Amboy Avenue in the Clara Barton section of town.

KOH's founder, Gail MacNeil, passed away on June 21 of last year.

"Gail MacNeil really was the driving force behind this whole effort," Sparacio said. "She spearheaded the effort."

Edison isn't the only local municipality to participate in the now-yearly event.

"Woodbridge is now in its second year of putting the teal ribbons on trees, and Highland Park has joined in as well," Sparacio said.

Mayor Jun Choi was also at the kickoff event on Sept. 1. Two years ago, Edison was the first municipality in Middlesex County to join the Turn the Town Teal campaign.

"In 2007, when we started this, we called it a silent killer because early detection has been hard," Choi said. "Now there are symptoms such as bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating, or urinary symptoms. Creating awareness and early detection are keys to fighting this disease."

Nicholas Sparacio said that when he first heard the news about his wife, he was "devastated."

"It felt like I was being punched by Mike Tyson," he said. "Thankfully, though, we had the right resources. Tremendous doctors and a lot of support really have been helpful."

Dorinda Sparacio's goal is to make people more aware of ovarian cancer and the dangers it presents.

"This has to be seen as a serious illness," she said. "Last year alone, 700 New Jersey residents were diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and lack of screening tests really is a problem at this point. I lobbied Senators [Robert] Menendez and [Frank] Lautenberg to co-sponsor the Cancer Screening, Treatment and Survivorship Act of 2007. They have been so supportive right from the start."

Sparacio said that even though she is out of the woods, she will continue to be vigilant and do all that she can to get the word out about the disease.

"I've always been active, and all I want to see is the drive and effort to do all that we can to get more testing done and try to prevent it," Sparacio said.

"For more information on the Kaleidoscope of Hope Foundation or the Turn the Town Teal campaign, visit www.kohnj.org.