HOLLAND TWP. -- Tom Gunia's recovery from an illness that shut down his lungs, and then started to d...

1. After clinging to life, Hunterdon man gets comedy
fundraiser
HOLLAND TWP. -- Tom Gunia's recovery from an illness that shut down his lungs, and then started
to do the same to his heart, was "nothing short of a miracle," says friend Joe Mercado.
And the fundraiser on May 9 that raised nearly $15,000 to help offset bills that health insurance
won't cover, is nothing short of "incredible," he added.
Mercado, Bill Lewis and Cheryl Bower work in the Hunterdon Medical Center with Gunia's wife,
Robin. That's the same place that Gunia, a stone mason and Holland Township resident, came on
March 2, suffering from continued severe headaches.
He would spend 58 days in medical units, most of them intensive care units. As Gunia now puts it, he
"maxed out" a ventilator -- placed on a machine perfected for use by adults just four years earlier.
His heart started to fail, and his pulse rocketed up to 158 beats-per-minute, staying at the
dangerously high level for two weeks, he said. His family, his wife of 24 years and children at
Delaware Valley High School and Rutgers University, was told at various times that he had a 30%
chance of surviving and that he'd be bed ridden for life.
His wife's co-workers started doing what they could, such as chipping in for a gasoline card and,
when possible, giving her a lift for twice-daily visits to Pennsylvania hospitals where Tom had been
transferred.
They took on chores such as mowing the lawn, preparing meals and cleaning up the yard.
Mercado, Lewis and Bower -- family friends, not just co-workers -- started planning a fundraiser
within days of Gunia's hospitalization.
"His prognosis was grim," Mercado said on May 12. The friends considered many ideas, and decided
on a comedy night and raffle. A doctor at the Medical Center, Anand Mehta, is also a comedian in his
spare time, Mercado explained, and offered his services. Mehta's friend and comedian Latice
Mitchell-Klapa would do the same.
For nearly two months the organizers were "a little nervous" about their upcoming event, worried
about "a bad outcome."
They pressed forward, helped by "too many people to name," said Mercado. Some helped with the
logistics, others offered services so that the money was raised, and will be distributed, legally.
Donations were solicited -- the Boston Red Sox organization even donated four behind-home-plate
tickets to a game.
Tickets, $50 each, were sold. Mercado can't say enough about the Delaware Valley community, and

2. Milford in particular. He set up a table four weekends to sell tickets from the river town. "People
would stop and buy tickets, or leave money, random people. It was incredible, the support."
"We couldn't have done this without all of them," Mercado said. "People I didn't even know just kept
reaching out."
Gunia doesn't remember most of March and April. He was diagnosed with "atypical pneumonia," and
said doctors aren't sure if it was related to his work -- he had been particularly busy this winter.
His lungs were recovering while his heart was failing, Gunia said, until Good Friday, when a
cardiologist decided to "shock my heart back into rhythm. I woke up after that and said, 'Let's go
home.'"
Mercado said, "I'm not surprised Tom beat the odds. He's definitely a strong man and a fighter. And
he has so much to go for, with a very strong support system of family, friends and his community."
On April 29 the event team learned that Gunia would attend the May 9 fundraiser at the Grand
Colonial in Union Township, the same place and nearly the same date as his wedding reception years
earlier.
The fundraiser raised about $15,000 toward a bill that Gunia estimates could be $100,000, after
insurance payments are completed.
He's not daunted by the figure. "We just have to move forward," said the husband and father. "I'd
rather keep working and deal with it."
The stone mason can't do that yet, and said he has a six-month backlog once he can return to work.
Mercado and Gunia both said they were surprised by the turnout, of 178 people, at the fundraiser
this past weekend.
"I just help out, like everybody else does," said Gunia, who has volunteered many years with Boy
Scouts, raised money for Del Val cheerleaders, and served on the high school's Parent Advisory
board, among other things.
Robin Gunia was a rescue squad volunteer, Mercado said.
"While Tom is out of the hospital, the the road ahead is a very long road," said Mercado. "If the
tables were turned, I know Tom would give back any way he could to help people."
Gunia recently returned as a thankful visitor to Lehigh Valley hospital, where he was taken from the
Medical Center. "It sounds kind of corny," he said. "But I remembered lying in the bed thinking, "Do
I fight it or lean back and see what happens?"
Anyone interested in donating can email guniafamilybenefit@comast.net for more information.
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