Community unites to help Czeslaw family

By Coleen Burnett

Eatontown — The roots of the Czeslaw family run deep in the borough. Anthony and Sharryn Czeslaw were both members of the Class of 1982 at Monmouth Regional High School. They later married and had six children — Cheyne (pronounced ‘Shane’), 28, Danny, 26, Justin, 14, Timmy, 13, Kaytlin, 11, and Sarah, 8. For years, life was all so very normal.

Then the family’s story took a sadder turn. Two years ago, in February of 2014 Anthony lost his life to cancer. Sharryn then became a single mother to the four remaining children in the house. That would have been enough of a burden to deal with — but then Sharryn herself was diagnosed with cancer. She passed away this past September.

Following the deaths of his parents Anthony and Sharryn, Cheyne Czeslaw and fiancee Brittney Shields are looking after four of his younger siblings as well as their own daughter, Zoe. Shown, l-r, are Justin, Sarah and Kaytlin Czeslaw, Brittney, Zoe, Cheyne and Timmy.

Cheyne is trying to do the right thing and keep the family together. He is now the guardian of the four youngest. Cheyne would have his hands full even without the tragedy of losing both parents – he and his fiancée Brittney Shields have a five-year-old daughter named Zoey that they are raising. The household – which includes an 88-year-old grandfather – is crowded.

The Eatontown community has rallied to help. A show of support for the family was recently held during halftime of the Pinelands-Monmouth Regional varsity basketball game on February 13, with gifts presented to them by the school’s baseball team, boys basketball team, and cheerleaders.

The Tinton Falls and Eatontown Middle School Cheerleaders performed with the varsity and JV cheer squad. Both Eatontown Mayor Dennis J. Connelly and Tinton Falls Mayor Gerald Turning came by.

There was also a performance by the 2016 Pop Warner National Cheer/Dance Champions of Eatontown, who count Kaitlyn and Sara as two of their members.

Shields told The Link that the support the family has received is “amazing… sometimes I just can’t put it into words. It’s just so heartwarming.”

She said the family is doing its best to make the change into what some would refer to as the “new normal.”

“It was tough at first but we got into a schedule {that} we transitioned to, and now everything is running smoothly,” she said.

There is a benefit fund raiser called “Taking Care of Our Own,” scheduled for Feb. 19 at the Long Branch Elks Lodge on Garfield Avenue. The event is from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person and includes dinner, dancing, raffles, and cash bar.

Payment for tickets or donations should be made out to the Long Branch Elks Lodge 742 and mailed to the Gaetano Family, One Alexandria Court, Eatontown, NJ 07724. Tickets will also be available at the door. There will be other fundraisers in the future.

Brittney is grateful for all the help.

“I just want to say thank you for everything… me and Cheyne would like to thank everyone personally, but there are just so many people,” she smiled.

For more information or if you want to help, you can call Karen Farrah at 732-567-6260 or email goldmom77 @aol.com.