Long Valley Police Aid A Local Mother With Cancer

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Members of the Washington Township Police Department announced at the beginning of the year that they would be extending their No-Shave November fundraising campaign to help a local mother with cancer.

The goal was to help raise $25,000 for Nicole Papa as a way to assist her family while she undergoes treatment for her breast cancer diagnosis.

"The initial fundraising goal was set at $25,000 and was not met at the time we decided to participate. At the time we were deciding to step in and help, we saw the recent donations were few and far between," police said.

Two months after their pledge to assist was made, the page’s goal was met, officials said.

"Our officers stepped up and donated what they were able to, and we saw a couple donations made by Washington Township’s residents as well," police wrote on their Facebook page.

Detective Sergeant Bigham made a $1,000 donation and decided to designate Papa as the beneficiary of the fundraiser that his youth football program held during the most recent season.

Papa, the sister of a Mount Olive police officer, was diagnosed with stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) last summer. The first step in her journey, according to the GoFundMe page set up in her name, was surgery on Aug. 18 to remove the tumor and several lymph nodes.

The post-surgery plan is now for Papa to continue aggressive sessions of chemotherapy, followed by additional radiation treatments.

"We have always prided ourselves on being involved and helping people in the community who are dealing with difficult situations," Lt. Chris Bratus said.