Bowling event to benefit Addison family
Instead of sitting around feeling helpless, Greg Fret knew he had to do something to help his sister Veronica Mazzuca and her husband, Ed.
The Addison couple have been struggling emotionally, physically and financially since Ed Mazzuca, a 37-year-old sheet metal worker, was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer last April. To keep up with his treatments and care for their two children, 6-year-old Eddie and 4-year-old Taylor, Veronica, 36, dropped out of her college accounting classes.
She does her best, Fret said, to make ends meet and shield the children from their father's stage four cancer, which they are too young to understand.
Fret knew his sister, a stay-at-home mom, and her family could use support. So he gathered his co-workers at a Bloomingdale real estate firm and planned a benefit happening this Saturday, Nov. 8, to help pay for medical bills and lost wages.
"It's brutal," Fret said of their situation. "Ed was kind of the sole provider, and he's been making a heck of a lot less money working. So I guess I was just looking for a way to help them out."
This Saturday, Fret and his co-workers will host a candlelight bowl fundraiser at Stardust Bowl in Addison to benefit his sister, Ed, and their children. The event is a surprise for the family, since Ed Mazzuca is currently in the hospital with pneumonia due to a weak immune system from his cancer treatments. Plus, said Fret, Ed is humble and would likely decline financial help if he knew in advance.
"He doesn't like everybody going out of their way," Fret said.
The candlelight bowl will include three games of Scotch doubles bowling, shoe rental and dinner for $25 per person. A cash bar will also be available. Supporters who cannot attend but wish to help out can send checks payable to the Ed Mazzuca Fund, Old Town Bank & Trust, 165 W. Lake St., Bloomingdale, IL 60108.
If you go
What: Candlelight bowl to benefit the Ed Mazzuca Fund
When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8
Where: Stardust Bowl, 37 E. Lorrane Ave., Addison
Cost: $25
Details: Branka Poplonski at (630) 918-3439