By Susan Alai
To some people, Morristown may seem like the big city compared with the very suburban towns surrounding it. The streets are constantly clogged with traffic, police cars zip through town with lights flashing and it’s possible to walk down the street and not recognize a single face.
On the other hand, Morristown also seems like a small town with its architectural charm, open spaces for parks and a downtown that’s lively and vibrant virtually every day of the week.
It’s here in small town Morristown that communities come together to help one another. That’s what is happening in the case of Annie Virrill, a former Morristown resident who works as a bartender at Yo & Papa as she did for its prior incarnation as Calaloo Café. That’s where Annie made friends, sang with some bands and became one of those personalities that others are glad to know.
Now she has been diagnosed and treated for cancer. Her friend, Jackie Taylor, wants to come to her aid to help pay for the $70,000 in medical bills she has accrued that are not being covered by her insurance.
Taylor, a Morristown resident and Virrill’s friend, is hoping enough friends and current and former colleagues will turn out to participate in a Walkathon this Sunday even though it is short notice.
Both Taylor and Virrill hope for this event to evolve into the Integrated Procedure Foundation so cancer sufferers can work with their doctors and other professionals to find the exact treatment for each person’s illness. “It can’t all be from a cookie cutter,” said Virrill.
Annie travelled to Glen Cove, NY, in October to have a partial mastectomy by laser surgery performed by Dr. Richard Linchetz, a proponent of integrative medicine.
She has changed her diet to one of high fiber with lots of beans, whole wheat pasta and rice, quinoa, multi-grains, raw vegetables and nuts. She has cut out all animal proteins and sugars and has started walking regularly. As a result, she’s lost 33 pounds and feels healthier and happier.
“When you hear that word cancer, you have to take control of your health and find the right doctors for you,” said Virrilli, who is the mother of seven-year-old Andrew. The two live in Boonton where Andrew goes to school.
“I’ve got to stay strong for my little guy,” said Virill. She also found some direction in the books of actress Suzanne Somers who practices alternative lifestyle methods. Somers is a cancer survivor; she interviewed doctors to find different ways to live healthfully and prevent or fight cancer.
Annie has also started meditating and makes sure to “listen to my gut” to find what might be best for her. She is leery of traditional treatments because both her mother and sister died of cancer and were not responsive to traditional treatments.
To make sure that the efforts of Jackie Taylor and others do not end with Annie, Annie and Jackie are taking steps to form the Integrated Cancer Procedure Foundation to help others who need help paying for their medical treatments. Jackie admits, however, that there is much procedural red tape to get through before the foundation can begin.
To take part in the walk, friends are asked to assemble around noon at Yo & Papa Restaurant, 190 South Street, Morristown. The walk begins at 1:30 p.m. and will travel from South Street to James Street to MacCulloch Avenue and beyond before returning to the starting point.
Donations can be mailed to Cancer Walkathon for Annie care of Jackie Taylor, 2 Hamilton Road 5N, Morristown, NJ 07960 or contact annievcancerwalk@gmail.com.
