It was on St. Patrick’s Day, 2004, that a beloved Belleville, NJ native, Robert Luongo, passed away after a valiant battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or more commonly known, “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”. He was just 49 years old.
ALS is an unforgiving disease, taking away a person’s motor skills. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
One of Robert’s closest friends, Phil Cuzzi, also a distant cousin, recalls when Robert told him that he was given a death sentence, years earlier. And Phil, along with so many other friends from the Belleville High Class of 1973, did what they could to help Robert, including the purchase of a special computer that helped Robert express himself by the blink of an eye.
Robert was a brilliant man, having earned a college degree at Harvard University, and doing it cum laude. He had moved to Florida, with his wife, Debra, and young daughter, Dominique, and was doing well.
Robert’s success wasn’t a surprise. He was a team captain at Belleville High, in both football and track, and was obviously a good enough student to be accepted at Harvard.
Robert’s love of family was always evident. He wanted his daughter to possibly attend Harvard, one day. With his health failing, Cuzzi assured Robert that Dominique’s education would be taken care of.
Ten months after Robert’s passing, the first Robert Luongo ALS Fund Dinner was held at Nanina’s in the Park, in Belleville, under Cuzzi’s supervision. The dinner would honor Robert by raising funds for Dominique’s education.
But even more importantly, there would be a commitment to research to help put an end to this terrible affliction.
Cuzzi recalled the battle his friend had faced.
“Robert and I had spoken on the phone, and Robert told me his hands were getting numb, and it was going up his arm,” Cuzzi recalled. “Long story short, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease. After he was diagnosed, he said to me, ‘I’ve just been given a death sentence’. And that was really the first thing he told me, after the diagnosis. He knew what was going to happen. He knew he was going to lose his voice and (eventually) his muscle movement.
“Little by little, he had a limp, then needed a cane, a walker and then a power wheelchair. It was heartbreaking to see what happened to my captain, and a (Belleville High) All-State linebacker.
“Robert was a smart man, a Harvard graduate. He did his research on ALS. He knew what he was going to face.”
The dinner in Robert’s honor was a complete success, starting in 2005. Over the past 19 years, there would be a surprise guest speaker, usually a Major League Baseball star, including Tony LaRussa, Tommy LaSorda, (umpire) Bruce Froemming, Joe Torre, Tommy John, and Joe Gerardi.
Many celebrities have attended, including ‘Uncle Floyd‘, heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, who has usually been accompanied by a one-time opponent, and now dear friend, in Jerry Cooney, as well as Steven Schirripa.
There is a silent auction for some nice memorabilia, as well as a live auction, hosted by various celebrities. The dinner has always been held at Nanina’s, with tremendous crowd support and usually a new record for attendance, at Nanina’s.
On January 18, 2024, the 20th Robert Luongo Fund Dinner will be celebrated. Over the past 20 years, Dominique Luongo was not only accepted at Harvard University, but she excelled there, just like her dad, and was later accepted to Harvard Law School.
She was a 9-year-old child when the dinner first began.
Raising money for ALS research, and to help with a cure, and assistance to those battling the disease, is the sole purpose of the event.
The Mission Statement is simple: To alleviate the financial burden of individuals and their families that have been victimized by ALS, including assistance and research.
“Every dollar goes to research for ALS, and scholarships for students going to college, or trade school, whose parent, or grandparent, may have been affected by ALS,” said Cuzzi. “A large share of the money also goes to patient care, be it wheelchairs, ramps, chair lifts, maybe even helping to pay family’s bills, that may not be covered by insurance.”
And then, even more impressive news.
“We have raised just shy of $1 million,” said Cuzzi, of the Fund’s first 19 years.
As the 20th renewal of a wonderful event nears, Cuzzi poignantly recalled his last conversation with Robert, nearly 20 years ago.
“The last time I spoke to him,” said Cuzzi. “I said, ‘Rob, you will never have to worry about Dominique’s education. I will get our community, and the baseball community involved, to raise whatever we need to send her wherever she wants to go.'”
This is a story of promises kept, from a friend to another friend. When Cuzzi was building a career as a professional umpire, for so many years, one of his biggest supporters was Robert Luongo.
There’s no doubt that somewhere, Robert is smiling at his pal’s success, including in 2017, when Phil was the home plate umpire for Game #1 of the World Series, at Dodger Stadium, not to mention all those playoff appearances since becoming a full time Major League Baseball umpire, in 1999, and a couple of appearances as an umpire at the MLB All-Star game.
But it’s also about the continuing effort to find a cure, and to help those who are battling ALS a chance to experience as much comfort as possible.
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