Four-day haunt to help boy, 3, battling cancer

BY LAUREN MATTHEW
Staff Writer

SAYREVILLE — A Parlin neighborhood is doing its best to scare up some help for 3-year-old Michael Midrano.

Michael was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, NK nasal T-cell lymphoma, three months after his third birthday. He started chemotherapy at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia soon thereafter, and will continue to undergo the aggressive treatments for a year.

With Michael’s treatment has come a great showing of support from friends and family, who formed Just for Michael, an organization designed to raise funds to help treat his condition and assist the Midrano family, of Clark, with medical expenses.

Michael’s uncle, Parlin resident Steve Agnone, hopes to raise money for Just for Michael later this month with a Halloween-themed event being organized by Haunts for Hope.

“They do this for charity every year,” Agnone said of the Haunts for Hope organization. Neighbors of Agnone who belong to the organization found out about his nephew and wanted to help. They have given up their time as well as their Haven Terrace yards to set up a haunted walk-through that will run Oct. 28-31.

“They’re setting up now,” Agnone said Monday.

The tour will feature actors, animatronic spooks and props, creepy lighting and fog. “When it gets dark, the special effects will come out,” Agnone noted.

There may be scary sights, but according to the Haunts for Hope Web site, there will be no “gore” at the charity haunt.

“It’s really geared for kids,” Agnone said.

The event is free, but there will be a donation box to benefit Just for Michael.

There will be a photo booth for pictures with Frodo or Yoda, and a raffle for a new multifunction digital camera with accessories.

Suggested donations are $3, or $5 per family for the haunted tour; $5 for T-shirts; $2 for a 4-by-6 photo.

Haunts for Hope, which holds the Charity Haunt once a year, expects a big turnout, with anywhere from 200 to 1,000 guests.

Michael, who does not know this is all being done for him, is excited to soon have a younger sibling. His parents, Ken and Maria, are expecting their second child in February.

“He’s pretty excited about that,” Agnone said of Michael. “He’s been going through so much.”

The Charity Haunt will run 3-11 p.m. Oct. 28 and 29, and 3-10 p.m. Oct. 30 and 31. Haven Terrace can be accessed via Bordentown Road, near Ernston Road.

Donations can also be made by visiting the Web site www.justformichael.com. For more information about Haunts for Hope, visit www.hauntsforhope.org.