Middletown Ice Hockey Raises $27K To Fight Childhood Cancer

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — On Tuesday night, 88 players from Middletown North and South varsity and JV ice hockey teams — plus Rumson-Fair Haven teens — gathered for the final charity ice hockey match in memory of Luca Iacono.

Incredibly, all three ice hockey games this winter raised $27,040 (and still counting), fully funding a pediatric cancer research grant in Luca's memory.

The games were organized by Hockey In Middletown, with participation from Infinite Love for Kids Fighting Cancer, which is based in Middletown. It was $25,000 to fund the cancer grant, which Denise Carmody, one of the mothers who helped organize, was initially skeptical they could meet.

However, the community contributed thousands to the effort.

Luca's parents, Michele and Frank Iacono, will now be presented with vetted research grant requests (from top-tier research institutions) from Infinite Love. The Iaconos will determine which research institution receives the $27,000+ raised by the Middletown community.

Luca died in 2019 of childhood cancer at age 11; he had Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Also at Tuesday night's game were two local boys. One of them is RJ Ferguson, 8, in the fourth grade at Nut Swamp and currently battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The other is Brady Waltz, in the fifth grade at Leonardo Elementary and who just finished cancer treatment two months ago. He is the son of assistant Middletown Fire Chief John Waltz.

Middletown Mayor Tony Perry, Middletown school district staff and teachers and members of the Board of Education attended Tuesday night's game, as did hundreds of members of the community.

More about RJ: Middletown Boy Facing Leukemia Buoyed By Friends, Family And NJ Devils

More about Luca: https://www.evergreenmemorialf...

More about Brady: https://www.tapinto.net/towns/...