Another benefit for Berkeley man

Chiropractor adjusts fees to help ex-cop
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 04/24/07
BY BONNIE DELANEY
STAFF WRITER

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BERKELEY — David Harrison receives intravenous antibiotic treatments twice a day through at catheter in his chest at his Princeton Avenue home.

His family, friends and doctors are hopeful that the treatments will help bring the symptoms of the advanced Lyme disease he was diagnosed with last year under control.

Then, the plan is for the 46-year-old former township police officer, who also was diagnosed with amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, to receive stem cell therapy in Costa Rica, Harrison's wife, Karen, said Friday.

The community has rallied to help Harrison and his family pay for the cost of his treatments, which are not covered by insurance, and are costly. The stem cell therapy alone is expected to cost more than $20,000, Karen Harrison, 42, said.






Chiropractor Steven J. Pollack, the owner of Pollack Chiropractic Center, 137 Atlantic City Blvd. (Route 9), Beachwood, is hosting the latest fundraiser for Harrison. It starts today and runs through May 5.

Free consultations, exams and X-rays will be offered to those who make a minimum donation of $10. All of the donations will be given to Harrison to help pay for medical treatments, Pollack said, adding that Harrison and his family have been patients at the center for almost 20 years.

"He's a friend and a patient," Pollack said. He said that he often spoke to students at the elementary schools when Harrison worked as the Police Department's DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer. Harrison was a police officer for 17 years and retired in 2004.

"He's soft-spoken and has given a lot to his community. My heart goes out to him and I want to do what I can to help," said Pollack, 49, of Island Heights.

Pollack said that people already have started to drop off donations when they learned about the fundraiser.

Karen Harrison said her husband was treated for Lyme disease at an ALS/Lyme clinic in Colorado Springs this winter. His antibiotic treatments continue at home, she said.

"He's improved somewhat, but suffered a setback when his medication was increased," she said. "So they had to cut back his medication."

Karen Harrison said her husband's spirits are up when he feels well.

"It's an up and down situation. He's doing pretty good, though," she said.

He is scheduled to return to Colorado Springs for additional treatment and tests, including a nuclear brain scan, she said.

Past fundraising events included a pasta dinner attended by hundreds in January at the Bayville Fire Company hall. It was organized by a group from Faith Community Methodist Church in Berkeley, which the Harrison family attends.

Karen Harrison said a local scout troop wants to organize a car wash to raise money and there is a benefit baseball game being planned for late spring.

"We really appreciate everything everyone has done," she said.

ALS is a progressive neuro-degenerative disease that attacks the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, resulting in muscle weakness and atrophy, according to the ALS Association Web site. Patients in the later stages may become totally paralyzed.

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

Karen Harrison said she and her family began to explore other treatment options after area neurologists offered little hope of halting the progression of the disease.
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