Alumni and Friends Rally for Jana Piccola
Jana Piccola is that rare type of person who inspires fierce loyalty from those who get to know her. Through the years she’s developed a wide circle of friends, including many fellow Huntington High School alumni. Now they’re rallying to her side as she battles cancer for the second time in seven years.
Ms. Piccola’s boyfriend, Sean Pawelec has formed Team Jana, hoping to raise $25,000 for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund so that others can avoid the same type of suffering she has courageously faced.
As a 16-year old Huntington junior, Ms. Piccola was diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma and endured many months of serious illness, before extensive treatments restored her health and allowed her to graduate in June 2004.
Last December Ms. Piccola, now a senior in Quinnipiac University’s School of Communications, became seriously ill again, this time battling leukemia. “The strength she has exhibited over the past few months has been truly inspirational,” Cheryl Wayne, a close friend and fellow Huntington alumnus, wrote in a letter to friends alerting them to the Team Jana initiative.
“She is the most kind and giving person I have ever met with a heart as big as the sky,” Ms. Wayne wrote about her friend. “Her positive attitude and optimistic outlook on life is what will get her through these terrible times. She is a fighter and someone who will never give up. She is currently waiting for a bone marrow transplant and finishing up her last semester of college through independent studies at home.”
Team Jana is asking friends and supporters to log onto a website and contribute monetarily toward the $25,000 goal. The site contains information about the cause. It can be found at http://www.active.com/donate/shecklerfamily/teamjana.
Thousands of dollars were contributed online in the opening days of the initiative. Ms. Wayne’s e-mail letter found its way into the mailbox of former Huntington School Board member John Logigian and it made a strong impression. “Cheryl's letter makes one stop and realize what is truly important in life,” he said. “And how trivial much of what we get caught up in on a daily basis really is.”
Ms. Piccola is now out of the hospital and resting at home where she is working hard on finishing her degree requirements through an independent study program while awaiting a bone marrow transplant.
“Jana is an 'A' student and consistently on the Dean’s List,” wrote Mr. Pawelec in a posting on the Team Jana webpage. Ms. Piccola has completed several internships while at Quinnipiac, including stints with an ABC affiliate in New Haven, ABC Network in New York City and the Rachel Ray Show in Manhattan. “While commuting to Manhattan from Quinnipiac twice a week, Jana was able to maintain a full course load and still be on the Dean’s List,” Mr. Pawelec wrote.
At Huntington High School, Ms. Piccola was very well-liked and active in the club and athletic programs. She earned the Triple C Attorney General’s Award as a senior and despite battling serious illness, compiled an impressive academic record. But, she’s much more than a high achiever to her friends.
“Jana is not just an outstanding student, she truly is an outstanding person,” wrote Mr. Pawelec, who referred to her as a “true hero” for the way she has faced her struggle over the past seven years.
Mr. Pawelec and all of Ms. Piccola’s friends are hoping for an outpouring of support for the Team Jana initiative. “Jana is amazing for all that she has overcome but if there was a cure she would never have had to go through this nightmare twice,” Mr. Pawelec wrote on the webpage. “Donate now and we will be closer to the cure.”
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