Helping The Huelbig Family – Hometown View

For the most part I concentrate on things that happen and involve Ocean County in this segment but this morning I’m heading north a bit to tell you about a young man from Middletown who we can all help.

Jason Huelbig is known to those who follow basketball because he is the main reason why Middletown North had it best-ever season this past winter. With Huelbig averaging 17 points a game the Lions went 25-6 and won the Central Jersey Group 4 championship. He was named first-team All-Shore and his efforts earned him a full scholarship to Assumption College in Massachusetts.

Now just a couple of weeks from graduation the 6’3 guard faces a bigger obstacle than scoring points and grabbing rebounds. He has been diagnosed with Keratoconus, a rare eye disease that affects his corneas and if left untreated will eventually cause blindness. The disease has been progressing quite rapidly and it forces the 18-year old to wear both a hard and soft contact lens in each eye.

The good news is Huelbig has been approved for surgery but the bad news is the only doctor who performs the procedure is in California and the surgery is not covered by insurance and will cost about $17,000.

Middletown North’s Civic Leadership program has taken up the cause to raise money and help the Huelbig family and they will join forces with the school’s Booster Club to host a Spaghetti Dinner next Monday (June 11) in the high school cafeteria. Obviously that is not convenient for many of us but you can still help by making a donation. Simply make a check payable to “MHSN Civic Leadership” and send it to me at the radio station: 1015 Route 9, Bayville, NJ 08721. I will turn them over to coach Mike Iasparro at the end of the month.

Congratulations to the Jackson Memorial baseball team for ending the season with a 7-0 win over Toms River North last night in the championship game of the Shore Conference Tournament at FirstEnergy Park. Senior Brandon Holup tossed a 2-hitter for his fifth consecutive shutout as the Jaguars ended at 25-3 season with their second Shore Conference crown in four years. Holup struck out 7 and did not walk a batter while Matt Guarino drove in three runs for coach Frank Malta’s Jaguars, who have had a tremendous four-year run.