Senior In West Orange Writes Award-Winning Essay About Scoliosis

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Every year, Essex County puts out a call to its local seniors, asking them to write essays about the people and events that have shaped their lives. And every year, people like West Orange resident Mary Lauri Bartola step up to the challenge.

Bartola was among the four winners of the 2023 Essex County Senior Citizen Legacies Writing Contest. The authors earned a big congratulations for their essays during an awards luncheon on Monday at the Robert O’Toole Community Center in Cedar Grove Park.

Bartola wrote “How Life Threw Me a Curve, And I Fought Back,” which was selected as one of the winning stories. County officials shared the following statement about the essay:

"Ms. Bartola was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 13 and has lived with pain throughout her life. Wearing a brace in high school seemingly corrected the problem, but the pain worsened when she entered the workforce after college. Ms. Bartola underwent surgery, which again helped with the pain for a while. In 2021, the pain returned and, after research, she found another doctor to do a second surgery. The next hurdle she overcame was convincing the insurance company to cover the expense. 'It had been a long journey. I always want to believe that someday, all the pieces would fall into place. I knew it wouldn’t be easy; nothing worth fighting for ever is. But I was confident the result would be spectacular,' she writes."

Other winners included Newark resident Edna Lewis, who wrote “Enjoy Your Lunch,” Caldwell resident Eva M. Ogens, who wrote “Paying It Forward,” and Nutley resident Linda Ann Buset wrote “Dying from AIDS in the 1980s: A Family Perspective.”

Honorable mentions went to Verona resident Coni Evans, who wrote “Getting Old Ain’t for Sissies,” Maplewood resident Pamela L. Gaston, who wrote “The Meanest Mother in the World,” Bloomfield resident Paula Zaccone, who wrote “Four Family Stars,” and Montclair resident John Falzer, who wrote “Morphine & The Fireman’s Wife.”

Essex County Commissioner Patricia Sebold – who was an English teacher for three decades before she retired – said she was “thrilled” to see so many people participate in this year’s contest. It was a sentiment also shared by Essex County Commissioner Joseph DiVincenzo Jr.

“Our Senior Citizen Legacies Writing Contest is a unique way for our older population to share their life’s stories and describe the people and events that helped to shape their lives,” DiVincenzo said.

“Our seniors’ stories make you laugh and they touch your heart,” he continued. “They provide us with a different perspective on historical events and what our society was like.”

Sponsored by the Essex County Division of Senior Services, the Legacies Writing Contest was started in 1996 and was part of a national contest which encouraged senior citizens to discover the joys of writing while sharing their stories with others. Although the national contest was discontinued in 1998, the Essex County Division of Senior Services continued to sponsor the Legacies Writing Contest on a local level. Entries are judged on the writer’s ability to engage the reader with humor, emotional impact or rich descriptions. Winning stories were selected by a committee of volunteer judges and staff from the Essex County Division of Senior Services.

For more information about the annual contest or other services offered by the Essex County Division of Senior Services, call 973-395-8375.

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