Holtsville sign honors 7-year-old girl

Assemb. Dean Murray and Sen. Lee Zeldin on Tuesday unveiled a sign honoring Grace Peshkur, a 7-year-old Holtsville girl who died in 2009 of epidermolysis bullosa.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed a bill in August that changed the name of the Waverly Avenue Bridge, which spans the Long Island Expressway in Holtsville, to the Grace Peshkur Memorial Bridge. The legislation was sponsored by Zeldin (R-Shirley), Murray (R-East Patchogue) and Assemb. Al Graf (R-Holbrook).

Murray and Zeldin presented the bridge’s new sign in front of about 400 students Tuesday at Chippewa School on Morris Avenue in Holtsville.

“This will be a reminder in the community of how strong she was,” Murray said later in the day. “Heroes come in all different sizes, and this was a little pint-sized hero.”

Epidermolysis bullosa, also known as “Butterfly Disease,” causes severe blistering of the skin and painful open wounds.

Grace worked to raise awareness about her disease. Former classmates and members of her family attended Tuesday’s event at the school.