Community Rallies Around North Haven Family After Teen’s Death

NORTH HAVEN, CT — The community is rallying around the family of Anthony Longley, who died Sunday after a long and courageous battle with a rare brain cancer. He was 13 years old.

Anthony was an honor student at North Haven Middle School and was involved in the North Haven Youth Football, North Haven Youth Basketball and North Haven Youth Lacrosse programs.

The North Haven Youth Football League has launched a GoFundMe page to help support the family. The page, which was organized by Sal Demaio, has raised more than $9,100 within the first two days of the campaign.

“He was a member of the 8th grade tackle football team and has been in our program since flag football,” Demaio wrote on the GoFundMe page. “His courage and inspiration will be remembered by his friends, teammates, and coaches for the way he battled against an unforgiving opponent.

“NHYF is taking donations in leu of flowers to help make the Longley’s Christmas extra special after this very sad tragedy.”

Anthony battled the incurable brain cancer (anaplastic ependymoma) since he was 3 years old and underwent five major brain surgeries, along with many other procedures, by the time he was 9, according to a GoFundMe account that was launched in 2015 to help the family with medical bills.

"Anthony will be remembered by his family and friends as a caring, resilient, hardworking, sports loving young man who always had a smile on his face and was the first in line to lend a helping hand to anyone in need and forget about his own health issues," according to his obituary.

For more information, or to make a donation, visit the Longley Family Christmas fundraiser on GoFundMe here.

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