By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Photos by Rachel Galvin

With very little surprise, Doctor Strange dominated the weekend with $84 million in box-office gross. It is typical Marvel comic-book entertainment as we are introduced to neurosurgeon Stephen Strange, M.D. After losing his hands to paralysis in a car accident, Doctor Strange goes to Nepal for alternative medicine.

While healing, Strange learns about the invisible universe that was introduced briefly in last year’s Marvel epic, Ant-Man. With metaphysical carny tricks added to his medicine bag, he battles a villain (Mads Mikkelsen). While there is no rush to go see this Saturday matinee flick, visiting the astral plane with Doctor Strange provides alternative entertainment.

The second week of Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) also provides alternative cinema to please both young and old this Friday, Nov. 11 at Savor Cinema (503 SE 6 St., Ft. Lauderdale)

• 2 p.m.: Brooklyn College film professor Foster Hirsch will conduct an interview with Arlene Dahl, a veteran Warner Brothers actress who performed in both crime noir and musicals.

• 4:30 p.m.: Bailee Madison returns to Fort Lauderdale to screen Annabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket, Bailee’s first producer credit. Stick around for a pizza party afterward.

Tomorrow Ever After makes its east coast premier Friday, Nov. 18 at the Cinema Paradiso Hollywood (2008 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood) and on Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Savor Cinema. A time traveler from the 26th century (Ela Thier, who also wrote and directed) arrives in Manhattan during the historical period known as “The Great Despair,” which happens to be the year 2015.

FLIFF is putting an emphasis upon foreign movies this year. Movies from the U.K., Caribbean, Chili and Israel will be the focus this weekend at Savor and Hollywood Cinemas. For ticket prices and times, contact 954-525 FILM or visit www.fliff.com.

Unrelated to FLIFF, Silverspot Cinemas in Coconut Creek has invited this film columnist to host a series of “Spaghetti Westerns” starring Clint Eastwood. On Monday. Nov. 14, enjoy a spaghetti dinner complete with wine at 6 p.m. followed by the film A Fistful of Dollars, directed by Sergio Leone with a classic musical score by Ennio Morricone at 7 p.m.

By Gary Curreri

The numbers were so sparse that Highlands Christian Academy had one player attending off-season workouts and the school had to cancel its spring football game.

This Friday, the Knights (4-3) will travel to Palmer Trinity (5-0-1) to play for the Florida Independent Football Conference (FIFC) championship at 3:30 p.m.

Highlands Christian, which knocked off Palm Glades Prep Academy, 26-14, in the semifinal game, avenged a 25-22 loss earlier in the season to Palm Glades.

“There is always the outside thought that it was possible if everything went well, but, realistically, no,” said Highlands coach Josh Harris, 36, of Boca Raton.

Harris, who is in his first year as head coach after assistant coaching stints at Miami Northwestern, Doral Academy and Somerset Academy started to believe that his team could make a run at a championship when the team played Palmer Trinity in the regular season. The Knights led the host Falcons, 14-13, with five minutes remaining in the game and was halted because of darkness.

“I saw that we could compete with the best teams in the conference,” Harris said. The game was never finished because it wouldn’t have affected the standings. The FIFC consists of five teams: Highlands Christian, Palmer Trinity, Palm Glades Prep Academy, Scheck Hillel, and Pinecrest Prep (Miami).

“One of the things I had to work with on them was having pride in themselves and pride in the program,” Harris said. “They have something to play for and a chance to leave a legacy where they can come back 40 years from now to the school and see a banner up there for football. Right now, there is nothing up there related to football, but a lot of other sports are there. That’s what they have come out and done. Winning Friday would be huge!”

The Knights, with just 23 players on the roster and seven players going both ways on offense and defense, have been led by 8th grader Christian Opalsky (RB/DB), seniors Carl Schuberth (QB), Noah Camanini (OL/LB), Josiah Ritzer (OL/DL) and sophomore Titus Baggs (TE/DE). Opalsky has rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season in just seven games.

Highlands Christian Academy hasn’t had a winning season since 2011 when the team finished 6-4.

Bucks win district title

While Deerfield Beach head football coach Jevon Glenn was disappointed with his team’s play in a 35-0 victory over host Piper on Friday night, the effort was still good enough to clinch the District 11-8A championship for a second straight year.

“I am disappointed as you can be with a 35 point win,” said Bucks coach Jevon Glenn, whose Bucks improved to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the district. The team’s lone loss this season came against Grayson (Logansville, GA) on the road, 39-14.

“We came out in the first half and got on them,” Glenn said. “With (Nick) Holm going down, that kind of hurt and we could have brought him back but we felt we could do this to this team.”

Nick Holm threw for two touchdowns before leaving with 10:04 remaining in the first half with an injury to his throwing shoulder as the Bucks knocked Piper from the ranks of the unbeaten for the second straight season. Last year Piper entered the game undefeated at 9-0, only to lose 38-0 on the road to the Bucks.

Holm threw TD passes to Daewood Davis for 7 yards and a 29-yarder to Alton Allen to stake the Bucks to a 14-0 lead. Ashtan Pierre returned an interception 41 yards with 5:46 remaining in the first half to extend the lead to 21-0.

Deerfield put the game away late in the fourth quarter when Taletrious Bradley scored on a 67-yard TD run in the fourth quarter and Alec Brown hit Jerry Jeudy for a 28-yard TD to seal the game. Piper fell to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the district.

Deerfield Beach plays host to Cardinal Gibbons Friday at 7 p.m. in a non-district game.

–By Rachel Galvin

It took about a year to prepare for this year’s Day of the Dead, in its seventh year, said founder Jim Hammond, who worked on writing the grant and filling out paperwork for sponsorships for at least nine months leading up to the big day. It took him about six months to work on the concept and design, and then the last final eight weeks are crunch time. With just 750 attendees in 2010, the event swelled to over 13,000 participants by 2015.

“We receive multiple grant,s but our first grant was the CIP grant from the Broward Cultural Division. Our first year, we received $2000 towards the event. Last year, over $19,000 went in CIP funds to our partner artists,” said Hammond. “We are also proud to be one of the few Broward based organizations who has received the prestigious Knight Arts Challenge Grant two years in a row as well as several other grants and sponsorships.”

His big part of the puzzle are the puppets. With a Masters degree in Puppetry Design from The University of Connecticut, he created his Sideshow Productions in 1996. He has designed puppets for clients like Florida Grand Opera, New World Symphony, Florida Philharmonic, Broward Center for the Performing Arts. He has worked as part of the puppet department of Disney’s The Lion King National Tour, and has been a spokespuppeteer for a series of Allegiant Airlines national commercials, and worked elsewhere.

For Day of the Dead, there will be about 45 puppets and 1000 skeletons. He created seven “super giant” puppets at 15 to 19 ft. tall, which requires seven operators each. They will have about 35 standard giant puppets ranging from nine to 12 ft. tall, as well a hundreds of other masks, banners and decorative objects .

“During the entire month of October the puppets go to over 25 events from Palm Beach to Homestead for pop up exhibitions, community events and free workshops. During the main event on Wednesday Nov. 2, the best place to see them is along the Riverwalk at 6:30 p.m. sharp. It’s a photographers dream!” said Hammond.

They have had 220 volunteers working with them to prepare the event, but they can always use more. To volunteer as a puppeteer during the parade, meet them at Huizenga Plaza, at 32 E. Las Olas Blvd. at 5 p.m. on Nov. 2. They will train you to be a puppeteer.

When asked how he got into puppetry, he said, “I’ve been a puppeteer since my earliest memory. I would tell stories as a kid using sticks and stones and found objects as the characters. My dioramas in 3rd grade had moving puppets on rods so they could be animated. I even had a small puppet company in elementary school where I would create puppet shows each summer in our backyard.”

He was inspired by the likes of Jim Henson, Shari Lewis and Captain Kangaroo.

“My first professional puppet gig was at 17 when I was hired by an amusement park in the Adirondacks called the Great Escape where I performed up to 21 shows a day over four years,” he said.

“As I matured as an artist, [the people I have connected with] most are often the unnamed craftsmen who created relics and icons of ancient peoples. This year, [my wife] Shelly and I traveled to Teotihuacan and Tula, [and elsewhere] in Mexico. Currently, that wealth of imagery drives my creativity,” said Hammond.

He added, “Another huge inspiration to me every day in the studio are my design collaborators. For a fourth year, my lead puppet designers are Sonia Matthews and Ronni Gerstel with David Goboff as head puppet engineer. They take my initial concepts and plans so much further than I ever dream initially. Any artist who can find that collaborative team to expand their initial dreams into reality will expand beyond their vision ten-fold.”

At this year’s Day of the Dead, they are adding two gallery shows, one showcasing photographic highlights from their first six years in Gallery 31 at Broward College/FAU and the second at New River Inn at the Fort Lauderdale Historical Center showcasing skeleton painter Heather Calderon. Both shows are open 4 to 8 p.m. during the event and are free. Also, on the Huizenga Plaza at 4:30 p.m., Fushu Daiko will be performing a concert connected to Japanese Ghost Festival and at 5:30 p.m., the Mexican American Council will bring their Youth Mariachi School and traditional Dancing Horses to do a performance that will lead into the Processional that begins at 6:30 p.m.

Day of the Dead is held Nov. 2 from 4 to 10 p.m. Admission is free. The celebration starts at 4 p.m. in Huizenga Plaza on Las Olas Boulevard where people can make masks and puppets, watch traditional live music and dance performances, and more. Officials from the Ft. Lauderdale City Commission and the Consulate General of Mexico will formally welcome participants at 6 p.m. At 6:30 pm, Hammond will lead the “Skeleton Processional, filled with puppets, skeletons, Mariachi musicians, revelers and more along the Fort Lauderdale Riverwalk towards SW 3 Avenue, and ending at the Folklorico Stage and Muertos Street Festival. Food trucks, traditional dance, interactive street performers, low riders, and original indie arts & crafts will be available in the surrounding area and in America’s Backyard nightclub. For more information, visit www.dayofthedeadflorida.com.

When not making puppets, Hammond and his wife of 23 years spend time with their four-legged kids Costello and Presley, renovating their 70+ year old antique Ft. Lauderdale home or doing some traveling.

Photos by Rachel Galvin

This year, the Deerfield Beach Chamber chose a masquerade ball theme for its annual gala event, a fundraiser that benefited the chamber and also helped the local Kiwanis Club. Over 160 guests, dressed for the occasion complete with masks, entered the Embassy Suites and were greeted by gondoliers to the red carpet where they could have a photo taken in front of a Venetian backdrop. Inside the ballroom, there were silent and live auctions, raffle items, a mystery wine game, music and dancing, as well as a three-course dinner. Guests watched an entrancing dance by members of Bobby Rodriguez Productions.

Community leaders came up to receive their “Champions of the Community” awards. This year’s recipients included JWR Construction Services, Island Water Sports, Royal Fiesta, People’s Trust, A&S Total Cleaning, DNA Labs Intl. and Bobby Rodriguez Productions.

Special thanks to the 2016 gala committee: Daisja Brinson, Kirsten Charlson, Tamra Davis, Gordon Vatch, Karen Bartell, Rosina DiBello, Jerry Dubois, Jordana Holden, Dawn Lopes, Kiku Martinson, Claudia Plafsky, Ken Samuels and Charisse Smith.

To find out more about the Deerfield Beach Chamber, and its many events and benefits, visit www.deerfieldchamber.com.

By Rachel Galvin

On Oct. 22, the NE Focal Point held their Health & Wellness Expo for the 16th year. Outside, the Man Van provided checks on glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure and body mass index at no charge by Broward Health Imperial Point. In the Adult Day Services Center, there was free skin cancer screenings by Hecker Dermatology Group, carotid artery screening by Broward Health North and blood pressure screening by the NE Focal Point Health Support. In the multi-purpose room, there was balance screening and body mass index by Nova Southeastern University’s physical therapy department students with Dr. Nof and Dr. Stern, and flu shots by Walgreens.

Deputies from Broward Sheriff’s Office conducted Operation Medicine Cabinet, allowing people to turn in their unused medication. Also in the Multi-Purpose Room, there were plenty of people with tables set up offering information on a variety of health services, including insurance, dental, medical, nutrition, financial, chiropractic, home health and more. Joe Aliotta of Personalized Therapeutics gave massages.

Goldie Louis, provider relations manager of Avenue Supportive Care, said they attended last year as well and said, “This is a good way to network, good interaction with other people.”

This was the first year for South Florida Smile Spa, located in Pompano a company that is always trying to interact with and give back to the community.

“This is great. It’s a lively group,” said Dr. Nicole Berger. “We like to be involved as much as we can. We donate money to schools, do walks for charities…. We give seniors who don’t have insurance discounts. We try to reach out to the community,” said Dr. Berger, who has been in practice for 12 years, but will have been in her Pompano office for eight in January.

“It’s been a wonderful day. The weather is gorgeous. I am grateful for the support of the vendors. Our mission is to keep people healthy, active. Early detection and health prevention are keys to good health and wellness. Today provided that opportunity,” said Donna DeFronzo, director of Senior Services.

New Recreation Coordinator for the Senior Center Dania Bernard, who is taking over from Tamara Sutton, took pictures of all the activities. Bernard has had a background in everything from being a flight attendant to event planning. She had an opportunity to work with her mom, who was a nurse, to help a patient who lived with them. Bernard sees this new role as a great way to combine her love of helping the elderly with her skills in event planning.

Recreational Coordinator of the Alzheimer’s Center Ann Sico served as the emcee for the day. Besides the tables to browse through, there was also ballroom dancing, line dancing and hula dancing to watch and door prize drawings. Guests enjoyed refreshments, including muffins, hamburgers, hot dogs.

NE Focal Point is located at 227 NW 2 St. in Deerfield Beach. For more information, call 954-480-4449 or visit www.nefocalpoint.org.

By Gary Curreri

The work in progress for the Deerfield Beach High School football team is progressing well.

Bucks coach Jevon Glenn’s team, which dispatched Monarch, 42-7, last week, can clinch the District 11-8A championship with a victory over host Piper (8-0, 4-0) on Friday.

“Winning a district title is our first goal,” Glenn said. “We had a string of something like 14 years in a row of winning them and then we let that get away from us for a few years. Last year, we won it again and we don’t want to put the carrot before the horse. The district championship is foremost and most important on our list.”

The Bucks (6-1, 4-0) scored 28 unanswered second-quarter points to rout the visiting Knights to clinch a playoff spot as quarterback Nick Holm was efficient as he completed 12 of 16 passes for 89 yards and three touchdowns. He found senior wide receiver Leroy Henley for TD passes of 4 and 20 yards, and senior Jerry Jeudy on a 2-yard scoring toss.

Senior strong safety Kobe Green had a 15-yard fumble return, while senior running backs Alton Allen (20-yard scoring run) and Lafleur Limprevil (9-yard TD run) also found pay dirt.

Glenn said the reversal of an early season, 22-21 overtime loss against Hallandale for using an ineligible player, really had little effect on his team. In fact, he said the loss was a wake-up call for his team that didn’t play up to expectations in that contest.

“That hasn’t really affected us,” Glenn said. “That was a moral victory. You go out and you play the game and I take nothing from Hallandale, they were the best team on the field that night. That was a win on a technicality. It is more for the administration to be happy. I said it that night that, when they beat us, they did a helluva job and I still stick to that.”

“We are starting to peak at the right the time,” Glenn said. The team’s lone loss this season came against Grayson (Logansville, GA) on the road, 39-14.

Since then, Deerfield has mauled its competition winning 30-0 against Coral Springs; 61-0 against Taravella; 35-6 against Douglas and 42-7 against Monarch. For the season, it has outscored the opposition, 233-77 (including the 22 points in the season opener against Hallandale.

“We are getting a little more balance offensively and defensively,” Glenn said. “We are starting to peak and get that chemistry on both sides of the ball. Even though we are playing a whole lot better, I think we have a ways to go. We just need to continue this path that we are going down and I am excited about it.”

Glenn was disappointed that the team’s game against St. Thomas Aquinas was cancelled due to Hurricane Matthew a few weeks ago. However, with Piper this week and a non-district game against Cardinal Gibbons the following week, Glenn believes he will be battle-tested come the playoffs.

“We can definitely win the state championship this year,” Glenn said. “We missed out on St. Thomas, but we should get the job done against Piper (5-1, 2-1) this week.

“On paper, it looks like a big game, but I think it could be the same thing as last year,” said Glenn, whose team routed the Bengals, 38-0, at home last season. “They (Piper) are big Twitter guys and they are doing a lot of talking. They play a really soft schedule and get off to a good record, but they are not fooling anybody with that anymore.”

By Gary Curreri

Lighthouse Point’s Arianna Varvoutis and Deerfield Beach’s Lucas Altieri recently returned home after competing in the South Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championships at the Ashburn Ice House in Ashburn, VA.

Varvoutis, 13, a 7th grader at Pine Crest in Fort Lauderdale, has skated since she was 7. Her friend had a birthday party and Varvoutis was hooked. She was one of 30 members of the Panthers Figure Skating Club based at the Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs that competed in the event.

“I immediately fell in love with (figure skating),” she said. “It was so much fun. I kept going to practices and group classes and started competing.

“It is really fun now,” added Varvoutis, who finished 11th in the Juvenile Girls Group E Division at the competition with a 41.97 score. “I am competitive, so when I go to compete I get nervous, but once I get on the ice I think in my head, ‘put on a show and the judges will give you as many points as they can.’”

Skating is a special place for Varvoutis.

“It is a feeling of happiness,” she said. “You get away from school, your parents telling you to do your homework and other family members (a younger brother, two turtles and a cat). I am the one that has to take care of them (pets).”

“It is the greatest thing,” Varvoutis continued. “It is my calm zone where I can get away and be happy.”

This was her second trip to regionals. Her goal was to get above 43 and make it to the final round. This is her second straight trip to compete in the Juvenile Division.

“Last year, I wasn’t the best,” but this year I have accomplished so much more,” she said. “My double Lutz, my double flip, and my double-double. I think I am going to do great.”

Altieri and fellow Panthers Figure Skating Club member Sophia Chouinard recently returned from the 2016 Novice and Junior Challenge Skate, which took place in Salt Lake City, Utah. The invitation-only competition was based on the International scoring system.

“It was huge for them to get the exposure and go,” said Nancy Mariani, the Director of Skating Development at the IceDen. Altieri skated to a fourth place finish with a 39.87 short program and 77.06 long that resulted in a 117.69 total. Chouinard was 11th overall with a 33.13 short; 63.46 long, and 96.59 total.

Altieri, 15, a freshman at North Broward Prep, is in his fifth year skating. He said the trip to Utah wasn’t really different from most competitions.

“The altitude made it harder to skate,” he said. “I got to experience that. I did okay at that competition by finishing fourth with my new program.”

It was a good year for Altieri last year and he is hoping for bigger and better things this year.

“It was pretty good, but what I get nervous about is that I won’t improve as much as last year,” he said. “Last year, I got like two or three new jumps and this year I have one or two, but I am trying a triple-triple, which is a really hard combination.

After a previous best finish of fifth at regionals, Altieri won a Pewter medal at the nationals in the Intermediate Division. This year he is competing in the Novice Division. Not only has he grown on the ice, he also experienced a growth spurt adding five inches to his now, 5-foot, 8-inch frame.

Not much has changed for him as his goal is to return to nationals this year. He placed second at the regional event in the Novice Men with a 94.03 score.

“I want to try and do the same as last year and win a medal at nationals,” Altieri said. “I would rather do well at nationals than at a smaller competition. The difference this year is there are new competitors and the judging is a little bit different in Novice. I have to focus more on my edges and my footwork. I want to compete in the Olympics, but that is far away.

“Lucas is one of those skaters that just appears to be even,” Mariani said. “Some kids might be doing things that might be harder, but when you put all of his stuff together, it equals magic and that is why he does so well.”

By Rachel Galvin

Lexi Masciarella first started collecting pop tabs in 2nd grade when students at her school were collecting them to donate proceeds to the Ronald McDonald House. In 5th grade, this North Broward Preparatory student became the head of collection of pop tabs from her class and proceeded to ask her neighbors, grandmother’s bowling team, anyone who could collect them to help her in her quest to get the most pop tabs. She ended up filling a 50 gallon drum with what she had collected.

“I wheeled the drum into the auditorium and spoke at the assembly. I was interviewed by Channel 7. It was great.”

When she asked her mom how much money that was raised from them, she was told $80. “That’s not enough,” she thought, only $80 for all of her efforts. She knew she had to find a way to make more money for the cause.

“I became enthralled with collecting them and how you could help someone so easily,” she said.

A couple of months later, she came up with the idea of the bracelets, which she sold at a 6th grade charity fair. She made $100 and was sold out within the hour. Seeing that making $100 an hour was much better than her earlier endeavor, she figured out she was onto something.

The bracelets at first were unable to be adjusted and were sharp and could cut people so she proceeded to make some modifications. She began getting demands for certain colors and types, and added charms and beads, completely transforming them into something new.

Now, five years later, this now 16-year-old has raised $10,000 so far. She has worked with organizations like Deerfield Beach’s Zonta International, which gave her a Rising Star Award, as well as Brandeis University and the JCC in Boca Raton.

She recently was at Zonta’s Festi-Fall at St. Ambrose Catholic Church. Next, she will be at Westminster Academy in Ft. Lauderdale on Nov. 4-5 for their Christmas Boutique.

“During Hurricane Matthew, I was making pop tab bracelets,” said Masciarella, who started a non-profit organization for her cause called Tabz 4 Charity.

“It takes me about 30 minutes to make, including cleaning the tabs, filing them down, putting them together with charms. It is like second nature now,” she said.

She not only gives to Ronald McDonald House, which provides a “home away from home” for families of sick children so they can stay together during the illness, but also other charities who approach her. She may give 60 percent to Ronald McDonald House and 40 percent to the other charity, like to help Susan G. Komen, for example.

“The Ronald McDonald House is important to me,” she said. “In 5th grade, I went to the house [to see how the money was used] and I met a little boy named Rahiem. He was 5 years old and had Leukemia but you would never have guessed. He had the biggest smile and the most energy. He was the sweetest boy. I was probably 10. He was always there with his mom and brother. We became super close. He changed my life.”

She learned a lot more about strength from witnessing it firsthand as she watched his mom and brother. Unfortunately, after being in remission and moving back home, he ended up passing away recently, but she will carry on his story forever and remains close with his family.

“Talk about having a different point of view on the world. Through knowing him and his family, I got to know strength and compassion,” she said.

Masciarella is president of the Ronald McDonald House at her school and continues to sell bracelets for the charity. She currently has 150 made and ready to sell. Her mom says they are all over the house, but she doesn’t seem to mind.

“I think it’s great. I am inspired by her. When she came and showed me the bracelet at first, I thought this is great. The more she kept doing and creating, she was thinking outside the box. I thought, ‘How smart.’ She has come so far. If we all did our little thing [to give back], how great things would be in the world. Lexi was inspired to do for someone else. It has become bigger than she even anticipated.”

For more information, visit www.tabz4charity.com.

By Rachel Galvin

Cancer comrades Aniela McGuinness and Nora McMahon didn’t resonate with the idea of being a “survivor” of Cancer. In an effort to find a term that better fit how they felt, they chose Cancer Grad and their website www.CancerGrad.org was born. Aniela, who made it through Breast Cancer, and Nora, who went through Ovarian Cancer share their stories and give important information on their site.

Aniela

Before this, Aniela recorded the entire process of her Cancer from the very beginning on her YouTube site – MyBreastChoice. Her mother had Breast Cancer at age 46, and at 63 she died from Ovarian Cancer. She had the BRCA1 gene mutation so Aniela decided to get tested too and, at 25, found out that she also had it. With that knowledge, she got checked every six months with a Mammogram and then a breast MRI with the plan of getting her breasts and ovaries removed by 35 (much like Angelina Jolie).

Being a model and actress, and always wanting to educate people, she decided to document her journey as she planned to have her operations performed. While filming one of her episodes of My Breast Choice, she discovered “live” on camera that she actually had Breast Cancer (Stage 1). That was two years ago on Sept. 30. She was 31 years old. The raw video is heartbreaking to watch.

The story of her diagnosis, the procedures that followed and her rollercoaster of emotions was written down and transformed (with the help of co-director/ director Tony Rivera) into a one woman show called I Don’t Have Cancer, which she performed in several locations, including Boca Raton.

She shared every step of the process through her videos, including waking up after surgery, discovering fashions that are more comfortable after surgery and how to make her own drain bag holder. She talks straight about the process, the ups and downs, what worked and didn’t work for her, and how she conquered Cancer with laughter and love.

Aniela had a skin-sparing double mastectomy and 12 sessions of chemotherapy (four sessions of Adriamycin/Cytoxan and nine session of Taxol). She didn’t have to do radiation because she chose to give up her nipples. Afterward, she decided to get a complete hysterectomy as well, just in case.

“My doctors and I chose a very extreme course of action. Most people would do much less, but with my age and family history I didn’t want to risk it,” she said.

You might recognize Aniela. She is in the Autonation, Think Pink, commercial, which is currently running on TV.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Now is the time to go get a mammogram!

Nora

Prior to her cancer diagnosis, Nora was very active. She was a three-time marathon finisher and raised money for organizations like the American Cancer Society, Alex’s Lemonade Stand and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s oncology department. She was a semi-professional dancer, held a green cord in capoeira, and participated in sports like track and field, volleyball, swimming, softball and basketball, and others.

Then, at 39, she started noticing symptoms. She was tired all the time. She blamed it on her new job. Her lower abdomen felt bloated with pressure and she was constantly running to the bathroom. Eventually, she got it checked out and the doctor noticed something was wrong. She had two ultrasounds – a regular and a vaginal ultrasound and found she had two large masses. One was the size of a grapefruit. The other was the size of a volleyball. When she had major surgery to have them removed, they discovered she had Stage 1C3 Ovarian Cancer. Luckily, it was still confined to the ovaries. She underwent four months of chemotherapy.

“Pap Smears do not detect Ovarian Cancer,” she said, encouraging people to get a CA-125 blood test, which is part of the process toward diagnosis.

She lists some of the risk factors for getting Ovarian Cancer as women who have never had children, never have used oral contraception, have had children after the age of 30, have the BRCA1 gene, or have had certain other types of cancer and medical issues. Nora thinks her risk factor may have been from her having Endometriosis. Her mother also dealt with Cancer in her eye. She knows there is always a chance the Cancer could come back.

She suggests visiting www.ovariancancer.org for additional information, as well as looking at www.Gilda’sClubSouthFlorida.org. Gilda Radner, an actress and comedienne known from Saturday Night Live, lost her battle with Ovarian Cancer in 1989. September was Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

Check out Cancer Grad to see more about these two inspiring and strong women and find out more information about their journies. Visit www.CancerGrad.org or email them with any questions at info@cancergrad.org.

By Gary Curreri

Lighthouse Point’s Sofia Caro can cross one thing off her sports bucket list.

The 17-year-old senior at Pine Crest scored her first varsity touchdown as the Panthers defeated visiting St. Andrew’s School, 28-8, in front of a raucous homecoming crowd at Best Field in Fort Lauderdale.

“I can’t really describe how I’m feeling,” said Caro, who scored on a fourth quarter, 2-yard run to seal the game. “All I can say is that I haven’t stopped smiling since … There’s nothing like it!”

Taking the handoff, Caro followed senior fullback Arjun Sandhu and junior offensive guard Robbie Fatovic 2 yards into the end zone.

“It was an amazing feeling,” Caro said. “My teammates, Arjun and Robbie (and others), cleared the way on the right side of the line. I spotted grass and hit the hole.”

Caro, who sports a 4.72 GPA in the classroom, also won the Clara Coleman Prize at her school last year which goes out to the rising senior who demonstrates versatility and merit as a scholar and student at Pine Crest School. Caro is a three-sport star at Pine Crest where she also excels in lacrosse and weightlifting.

As a sophomore, she was the only Broward competitor to make it to states in girls’ weightlifting placing 17th in her 139-pound weight class and last spring she was an all-county selection in lacrosse.

Caro, who played on JV for two seasons and took last year off to concentrate on lacrosse, is happy to be back. The 5-ft., 6 in., 140 lb. tailback said she had two goals. One was to score a touchdown, and the second was to win a championship with the football team. She can cross one of those off her list.

Pine Crest coach Troy Harrison said it was a special moment.

“She did a great job of following her lead blocker, finding the hole and crossing the goal line,” Harrison said. “The crowd went crazy, the team went crazy.”

Hearing the announcer call her name on Friday nights gets her pumped. The cheers from the crowd are reminiscent of the 1993 movie, Rudy, about a walk-on player at the University of Notre Dame.

“I’m on top of the world,” said Caro, who also plays linebacker in defense. “Hearing your name called is something special and it is something I haven’t really experienced in any other sport that I have played.”

Caro is the second female football player to play varsity football at Pine Crest. The other, Anna Lakovitch, was a placekicker and soccer star at the school from 1995-98 and attended Harvard University. South Plantation’s Erin DiMeglio became the first female quarterback in Florida high school history to play in a game in 2012.

Pine Crest, which won for the fourth consecutive week and improved to 4-1, faces King’s Academy in West Palm Beach this week.

Bucks roll again; top Taravella, 61-0

Deerfield Beach must enjoy the turf at Coral Springs High School as for the second consecutive week it rolled to a shutout victory over a District 11-8A foe.

Deerfield, which improved to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in District 11-8A, scored nine touchdowns and wrapped up the game in the first half as it cruised past Taravella, 61-0, last Thursday night. The team defeated Coral Springs at James Caldwell Field the previous week, 30-0.

Bucks senior quarterback Nick Holm returned from a concussion after sitting out the win over the Colts and threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns, including a 65-yard pass to junior receiver Cornelius McCoy on the game’s first play from scrimmage.

Holm also completed a 14-yard scoring pass to senior Jerry Jeudy and a 6-yarder to senior Leroy Henley. Backup QB Alec Brown, who threw for three TDs in the victory over Coral Springs filling in for Holm, picked up where he left off and passed for 146 yards and two TDs.

Junior tailback Jakari Norwood rushed for 87 yards on eight carries and three TDs, while senior Lafleur Limprevil tacked on 95 yards rushing.

The point total was two short of the team record for Deerfield, which leads in the season series between the two teams, 23-6.