Town Administrator Anthony Iacono was honored for his off-hour dedication and his ability to raise money for a good cause by the North Jersey Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society recently.
Iacono, who was named their Man of the Year in 1999, has raised more money to help fight the disease than anyone in the local chapter’s history, according to Eileen Dupey, who came to Secaucus to honor Iacono last week.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. The Society’s mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, the Society has provided more than $280 million for research into blood-related cancers. Iacono, Dupey said, has single-handedly raised $120,000.
"I just wanted to make certain that people in his hometown knew about his achievement," Dupey said.
Iacono has been involved in numerous fundraisers over the years and most recently was part of a rock ‘n’ roll fundraising marathon in San Diego.
In late 1996, Iacono discovered that his son, Paul, had leukemia, and event that changed both of their lives.
Iacono, who had just been named town administrator in Secaucus, said a dark cloud passed over his life. He made up his mind not only to help his own son, but to help fight the disease so that other parents wouldn’t have to feel this way about their children.
This year, Paul reached a critical benchmark in his recovery after testing negative for the disease for five years. Paul was named the society’s national youth ambassador for 2003, and has taken his talents on the road in behalf of fighting the disease that once promised to cut his life short.
Iacono said more than once that he and his family received an immense amount of support from the society at a critical time in their lives, and Paul has become one of Iacono’s chief motivating factors.
"Paul inspires me every day," Iacono said. "The way he has accepted this and how he deals with his life. Even on his worst day, he has treated life as if a gift. He deals with this day by day and he has become my inspiration and my idol, and I truly cherish Paul as my son."
Young actor
Paul had a lot to lose.
Before being diagnosed with the disease, he displayed a great deal of talent for singing and acting. By age 4 he had already begun a musical performance career, playing Tiny Tim in the Park Theater production of "A Christmas Carol." Over the years since, he has racked up performance credits that included The Rosy O’Donnell Show, the memorial dedication for Frank Sinatra in Hoboken, performances at a New York City night club, and a performance before 18,000 screaming Nets Fans at the Meadowlands Arena. He has appeared on Broadway with Mickey Rooney and performed at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn.
He even appeared with other personalities at the unveiling of the Nets Logo, at which time he received a letter of recognition from Vice President Al Gore. He has become one of the official radio voices for kids’ Radio "Aahs," for which he did commentary for the New Jersey MetroStars soccer team. He also sang with the Duprees and acted in various TV commercials.
Iacono said whatever honors he gets for doing his best to raise money can not possibly equal the good the society does.
"It’s the society that deserves the credit," he said. "I’m just doing what I can to help them out."
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is holding informational meetings for its upcoming Light the Night Walk to commemorate lives touched by cancer. The meetings will be held in Bayonne July 23 and in Glen Ridge July 30. For more information, call (973) 376-9559.