Pasta dinner to raise funds for retired officer's medical treatments
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/10/07
BY BONNIE DELANEY
TOMS RIVER BUREAU

The public is invited to dine on pasta to raise funds for medical treatments needed by retired Berkeley DARE officer Dave Harrison.

The pasta dinner fundraiser, organized by a group from Faith Community Methodist Church in Berkeley where Harrison and his family are members, will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. today at the Bayville Fire Department's Potter Hall on Route 9 in Berkeley. The cost of the dinner is $8, and there also will be a 50-50 raffle and gift auction.

Harrison, 45, of Berkeley, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, and advanced Lyme disease, said Scott Cranstoun, an Ocean Gate resident who is one of the organizers of the benefit.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy, according to www.alsa.org, the ALS Association's Web site.

Lyme disease is a multisystem bacterial infection often transmitted by the bite of an infected tick.

Cranstoun said that Harrison was to travel to Costa Rica for stem cell treatment but had to delay the medical treatment, which costs more than $20,000, after he was diagnosed with advanced Lyme disease.

Cranstoun said that anyone who would like to help Harrison may send a contribution to Dave Harrison at 385 Princeton Ave., Bayville, NJ 08721. Cranstoun said there is a special account set up for Harrison's medical treatments.
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Bonnie Delaney: (732) 557-5738 or bdelaney@app.com