Kings Park fundraiser for ill teen's family

Friends of a 15-year-old Kings Park girl suffering from a rare form of cancer will hold a fundraiser Saturday night to help her family.

Lauren Lenardi was diagnosed last year with rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancerous tumor that forms in the soft tissues of the body.

The fundraiser will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at Celtic Crossing tavern, 83 Pulaski Rd. Admission is $50 and includes food and an open bar. There will be a raffle with prizes including an iPad and iPods.

Lenardi’s mother, Sharon, said the family’s insurance pays for her daughter’s care at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. She said the fundraiser will help pay for the family’s travel into the city. Sharon Lenardi said she had to reduce her hours at work to care for her daughter.

The teen, a student at Kings Park High School, celebrated her birthday Tuesday at the hospital. “She planned to be at school and at soccer practice, and instead we were here,” her mother said.

Donations made out to “Love4Lauren” may be mailed to Ann MacDougall, 5 Trescott Path, Fort Salonga, NY 11768. For information, call 631-806-0866.