JNEWS: Veliz, Tierney [MC2011] gets community support

http://www.njherald.com/story/news/09-24-11-jm-TIERNEY-clone

Thousands show support for Fredon family
By JESSICA MASULLI

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FREDON — Rosemarie Veliz used to feel invisible.

She felt as though having a son with a terminal illness kept her family isolated, but on Saturday afternoon thousands of people came to Lodestar Park to support the Veliz family.

“Now, I feel like this community has opened up,” Veliz said. “It’s overwhelming. I’m proud of my community and the extended community. They are so kind.”

The family has faced challenge after challenge. First, their 20-year-old son Chase Veliz suffers from Hunter Syndrome, which has left him bedridden for the last four years and requires 24-hour medical care. Second, their 22-year-old daughter, Tierney Veliz, suffered a broken spine in 16 places, a broken neck, pelvis, collarbone and hip, and a crushed cervical spine nerve 6 (C6) in a car accident in June.

Tierney Veliz had just graduated from Manhattan College and was set to enter a fall doctorate program in psychology at Seton Hall University when the accident occurred. Her vehicle became airborne, flipped and rolled twice near Marksboro Deli in Frelinghuysen.

The accident left her paralyzed from the chest down, but she continued to defy odds and can now lift her left arm and use her right arm. She no longer relies on a feeding tube, and the tracheostomy was removed, but her main goal remains to walk again so that she can eventually continue pursuing higher education.

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[JR: I've queried about where donations can be sent. ]

Veliz, Tierney [MCMC2011]

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