Michelle O'Neill Volleyball Tournament draws thousands to 30th annual event in Long Beach

Michelle O'Neill was someone you wanted to be around.

"She loved life," said her mother, Carol O'Neill, 84, of Long Beach. "She was a lot of fun."

Michelle O'Neill grew up in Maspeth and Long Beach and was a talented painter and writer. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was 17 years old. A high school senior, she finished the school year while enduring radiation and still went to her prom. In the years that followed, she continued to battle her illness, attending first Nassau Community College and then SUNY Oneonta, from where she graduated.

Her tumor returned in the summer of 1995. A year later, in October 1996, she died. She was 24.

Her family was determined to turn their tragedy into a movement — buoyed by the resilience they saw Michele exhibit for years.

Now, the annual Michelle O'Neill Volleyball Tournament, run by the nonprofit Michelle O'Neill Foundation, has grown beyond her family's dreams. At the 30th-year event Saturday, more than 500 teams and over 3,000 people participated, spread out across 80 volleyball courts along the beach.

"Every year we just see such growth — growth in the number of people coming, the number of people helping," said Jackie O'Neill-Walsh, Michelle's sister. "People come just to love this day, come to love this cause, to help the kids."

Funds raised from the tournament entry fees, merchandise, food and other avenues support families of special needs children and those undergoing cancer treatments. Last year, the tournament raised around $250,000, Carol O'Neill said.

"I know how much it helped us, not only my daughter, to be with other people that were going through the same exact thing," she said. "That's why I love to be able to give back." 

Michael Graham's son, Cooper, 4, has battled retinoblastoma since he was 4 months old. His family and friends put together a team called "Coop's Troops" and have played in the tournament for the past four years. He said the support has helped his family through the fight against his son's cancer.

"We play to help others and want to be a part of something," said Graham, 41, of Oceanside.

Up and down the beach off Edwards Boulevard, under a sunny sky, volleyball matches were in full swing.

Tyler Stankelis, 31, of Long Beach, said teams travel across the country to play in the tournament and support the cause.

"Coming together over something that everyone can get behind is such a beautiful thing," Stankelis said.

Since he was a child, Danny Marquino, 22, of Stewart Manor, has been attending the annual volleyball tournament. Diagnosed with brain cancer at 3 years old, he knows how hard the battle can be.

He also knows that fighting against cancer can be a costly battle, both physically and financially. The foundation's efforts, he said, help ease the burden of the latter.

"A lot of people probably can't get the help they need if they don't have enough money," Marquino said.

Danny's father, Larry Marquino, said Michelle O'Neill's family has been a rock he can lean against over the years. That kind of friendship, he said, is what gets families battling cancer through their darkest moments.

"You never know in life, and when your chips are down, that's when you can really tell who your friends are," Larry Marquino said. "It gives you a little bit of strength that helps you find another day."