Community Corner
Blood Drive Saturday In Memory Of Old Bridge Teacher Who Died Of Lupus
Jessica Uveges LoNigro was a teacher at Walter M. Schirra Elementary in Old Bridge. She died at the age of 33 from lupus.
MATAWAN, NJ — This Saturday, there will be a blood drive at Old Bridge High School in honor of an Old Bridge elementary school teacher who passed away due to lupus.
The teacher is Jessica Uveges LoNigro, who was a teacher at Walter M. Schirra Elementary School. She was a lifelong resident of Old Bridge, and was also the cheerleading coach at Jonas Salk Middle School.
She passed away in 2014 at the age of 33, from lupus. Lupus is an auto-immune disease and, while there is no cure, the illness is survivable in 80 to 90 percent of cases, and can sometimes cause very mild symptoms. However, 10 percent of lupus cases are fatal and this occurs when the body's immune system attacks vital organs, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.
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During her illness, Uveges LoNigro relied on blood transfusions, and people with illnesses such as her's need a strong blood supply. This is according to New York Blood Center, which is running Saturday's blood drive.
Since her passing in 2014, LoNigro's family has worked tirelessly to make sure others have access to the same resources that she did; her family has been hosting two blood drives every year in her memory. From these blood drives, more than 2,100 units of blood have been donated in her memory.
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The blood drive will be from 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at Old Bridge High School Grade 9 Center.
WHEN: Saturday, September 17, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: Old Bridge High School Grade 9 Center, 4207 Highway 516, Matawan, NJ 07747
WHY: It only takes one hour to donate, and a single donation can save multiple lives. Roughly one in seven hospital admissions require a blood transfusion. Those in need include: cancer patients, accident, burn, or trauma victims, newborn babies and their mothers, transplant recipients, surgery patients, chronically transfused patients suffering from sickle cell disease or thalassemia and many more.
To make an appointment at this blood drive, donors can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit this link.
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