Help A Toms River Teacher and Her Family

A family in Toms River is in the middle of a string of tragedies that, if made into a movie, would be considered too much to be real.

This story is honestly just so much, I feel unqualified to try and condense it, so here is what it says on their GoFundMe:

For those who do not know, Jenny Azzarello is a loving wife, mother, photographer and well-respected teacher in the Toms River School District. In December of 2019 while driving to work, Jenny suffered a seizure and consequently crashed her car. During this time, Jenny was 7 months pregnant with her 3rd child. Upon testing, a mass in her brain was found. She was immediately transported to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. During a lengthy stay there, days and nights away from her family, it was determined that Jenny could go home for the holidays and give the baby more time to mature with the understanding that she would return in January for follow-up testing. Jenny's accident occurred just days after her husband Joe had a seizure while leaving a local restaurant with their family. This rendered him unable to drive for a period of time as well as unable to make the lengthy commute to work in Woodbridge. Both children were witnesses to this tragic event.

After the holidays at home with her loving family, Jenny returned to Lenox Hill Hospital in January and got the good news that she could carry the baby to term, but brain surgery would be necessary approximately 2 weeks after delivery. A potential risk of this invasive surgery included the possibility of paralysis on her left side. Unfortunately, the “high” of the good news did not last all too long because the weekend after her appointment, Jenny started experiencing more seizures. It was then decided by her team of doctors that they would need to deliver the baby early than planned in order to perform the brain surgery sooner. On January 30th, Jenny and her husband welcomed a beautiful and healthy baby boy to their family! Just one week after delivery, Jenny underwent brain surgery. The surgery was a success, as they were able to remove the whole mass! Almost immediately, Jenny was feeling better and had improved mobility on her left side. It seemed that the worst was behind her and she was on her road to recovery. But again, it was a “high” that did not last that long. A few short weeks after her procedure, Jenny got the results of the pathology report…grade 4 (Glioblastoma) brain cancer.

Jenny now has to undergo chemotherapy and radiation to fight this aggressive tumor. Jenny has spent numerous days and nights away from her family and has been out of work since her accident in December. It is our hope to raise funds for the family to help defer the growing expenses, including costly medical bills, house bills, daycare bills and even just the daily expense of having 3 young children (ages 4, 2, and 1 month). Additionally, we hope our fundraising efforts will assist Jenny and her family transition to a one person income for at least the foreseeable future.

I'm nearly speechless. Looking at my own family, with a 3-year-old and one on in the way in just about two months...I can't even imagine what it would be like to go through what this family is. Just a car accident can be damaging enough - add in a seizure, then add in multiple seizures, then add in being pregnant, then add in brain cancer - it's just a lifetime of misfortune crammed into a few months.

Donations are being accepted through their GoFundMe, and there will also be a special Spaghetti Dinner being organized in Joe's school district on Sunday, April 26th at the Colonia Fire House in Colonia. All proceeds will go to help the family with medical expenses. They are seeking donations in the form of gift baskets. If you or your business are interested in donating, please call Councilwoman Debbie Meehan at 732-382-0273. CLICK HERE for more information.

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