Category Archives: Long Island

(© 2020 Ann Parry, FromLongIsland.com) Merrick, New York, U.S. August 15, 2020. ANNIE FITZPATRICK, 12-years-old, and friends hold a pink shell with Fight like a Girl written on it. Lizzie's Army painted shells to sell to raise funds to donate to American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Annie's 24 year old sister Lizzie was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer in late June . Over $3,000 has been raised so far through shell sales and GoFundMe.

Lizzie’s Army fights like a girl for breast cancer research

From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (ann-parry.com)
August 17, 2020

Lizzie’s Army

When 24-year-old LIZZIE FITZPATRICKwho happens to live a few blocks from me in Merrick – was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer in late June, three tweens – her sister ANNIE, 12; their cousin MADDY; and Annie’s best friend ISABELLE – decided to turn their summer hobby of painting shells into a business to raise funds for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.

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Merrick, New York, U.S. August 15, 2020. Tweens, L-R, ISABELLE, MADDY, and ANNIE FITZPATRICK, hold three of many shells they and friends painted, to raise funds to donate to American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. The trio formed Lizzie's Army after Annie's 24-year-old sister Lizzie Fitzpatrick was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer in late June. (© 2020 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Merrick, New York, U.S. August 15, 2020. Tweens, L-R, ISABELLE, MADDY, and ANNIE FITZPATRICK, hold three of many shells they and friends painted, to raise funds to donate to American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. The trio formed Lizzie’s Army after Annie’s 24-year-old sister Lizzie Fitzpatrick was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer in late June. (© 2020 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

After seeing a News 12 segment announcing Lizzie’s Army was having a fundraiser selling painted shells on August 15th, I knew I had to cover it to help spread news about how Annie, Maddy and Isabelle are fighting like girls to raise money for breast cancer research.

Merrick, New York, U.S. August 15, 2020. At left, DESIREE VALENTINE, of Westbury, selects a shell ANNIE FITZPATRICK, 12, hands to her, during a Lizzie's Army fund raiser for money to donate to American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. (© 2020 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Merrick, New York, U.S. August 15, 2020. At left, DESIREE VALENTINE, of Westbury, selects a shell ANNIE FITZPATRICK, 12, hands to her, during a Lizzie’s Army fund raiser for money to donate to American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. (© 2020 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Also, two days ago, Andrea Fitzpatrick organized the Lizzie’s Army gofundme campaign, and as of 2:18 AM EST today, it’s raised $2,480, so I feel pretty safe predicting it will not only reach but surpass its goal of $2,500.

Merrick, New York, U.S. August 15, 2020. Merrick, New York, U.S. August 15, 2020. @fight4thegirls is instagram account for Lizzie's Army, which paints and sells shells to raise money for breast cancer research. (© 2020 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Merrick, New York, U.S. August 15, 2020. @fight4thegirls is instagram account for Lizzie’s Army, which paints and sells shells to raise money for breast cancer research. (© 2020 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

Lizzie is currently undergoing 16 chemotherapy treatments, and is grateful for her incredible support system.


  • FEATURE PHOTO at top of post:  Merrick, New York, U.S. August 15, 2020. ANNIE FITZPATRICK, 12, and friends hold a pink shell with “Fight like a Girl” written on it. Lizzie’s Army painted shells to sell to raise funds to donate to American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. (© 2020 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

gofundme:  Lizzie’s Army

instagram:  @fight4thegirls

my Lizzie’s Army PHOTO GALLERY

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Tropical Storm Isaias Slams Long Island

From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (annparry.com)
August 5, 2020

My neighborhood hasn’t had power since early yesterday afternoon, shortly after Tropical Storm Isaias crashed into Long Island, so I used my iPhone 11 Pro to create and publish this post.

My daughters – one in Seaford, one in Merrick – lost power very briefly or not at all, so my family’s experience was typical, since one in three L.I. electricity customers lost power.

A tree in my backyard snapped in two several feet from the ground, with the top toppling over the fence behind it:

North Merrick, New York, U.S. August 4, 2020. Tropical Storm Isaias slams into Long Island, causing widespread tree damage and power outages. (© 2020 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

North Merrick, New York, U.S. August 4, 2020. Tropical Storm Isaias slams into Long Island, causing widespread tree damage and power outages. (© 2020 Ann Parry/AnnParry.com)

At dusk, I captured the above photo of the tree most severely damaged in my backyard. Just the bottom few feet of the trunk were still on my side of the white fence; the rest of the tree had fallen on the other side.  (You can see my shadow on the left side of image.)

When my daughter Sue’s power returned, I drove to her home a mile away. On my way, I passed a huge tree near the curb toppled down across the front yard onto the roof of the house, which had to be evacuated.

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North Merrick, New York, U.S. August 4, 2020. Tropical Storm Isaias slams into Long Island, causing widespread tree damage and power outages. (© 2020 Ann Parry/Ann-Parry.com)

North Merrick, New York, U.S. August 4, 2020. Tropical Storm Isaias slams into Long Island, causing widespread tree damage and power outages. (© 2020 Ann Parry/AnnParry.com)

That night, while returning to Sue’s home to drop off some cheese and eggs to store in her refrigerator, I slowly navigated a dark maze blocked by trees felled by wind gusts up to 70 mph. All was dark until I reached her street.

Cars and pedestrians made their way by moonlight – and headlights & flashlight – on Camp Avenue in North Merrick, as seen in the below short VIDEO:

Governor Andrew Cuomo, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and Town of Hempstead Supervisor Tom Clavin are among the officials calling for an investigation into PSEG power company’s poor to non-existent communication with customers experiencing power outages, downed power lines….


Tropical Storm Isaias:  my PHOTO GALLERY

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Freeport, New York, U.S. August 14, 2018. Trio with same birthday take selfie in lobby of Freeport Memorial Public Library, on Long Island.

Heard it’s your & your birthday…

From LONG ISLAND – by Ann Parry (annparry.com)
June 26, 2020

…It’s my birthday, too, yeah

I waited almost two years to post this.

While playing a game on my iPhone in the Freeport Memorial Library lobby during a scorching mid-August afternoon in 2018, I overheard several teens – two girls and a boy – sitting on a bench near me.

Ages must have come up, and the girls, surprised to find out they had the same birthday, laughed and repeated the June day they shared. When one girl said she was eighteen and the other said she was a couple of years younger, the boy said something along the lines of “No way!”

What caught my attention was the date the girls called out – it was MY birthday.

No way!

Freeport, New York, U.S. August 14, 2018. Trio with same birthday take selfie in lobby of Freeport Memorial Library, on Long Island. (2018 Ann Parry, AnnParry.com

Freeport, New York, U.S. August 14, 2018. Trio with same birthday take selfie in lobby of Freeport Memorial Library, on Long Island. (2018 Ann Parry, AnnParry.com)

I regularly find myself talking with strangers – to ask for info to use in a caption for a news photo I just captured, to chat at a museum or during a Pokemon raid at Eisenhower Park….

But I paused as I imagined the teens’ likely reaction if I simply said, “Talk about coincidences – that’s my birthday, too!” 

So I dug through my bag, took out my driver license, and said something along the lines of, “This is so weird, but…” as I walked over and showed the girls the DOB on my license – well, I covered the mid-twentieth century year with my thumb.

After enthusiastically admiring the stratospheric odds of the three of us not only having the same birthday but realizing it, we took selfies.

They liked my idea of writing a blog post about our coincidence, and I gave them the name of my blog. Because one was a minor, I didn’t ask for names. Unfortunately, it didn’t click until later that day that I shouldn’t post the photo for the same reason, and I felt so bad there would be no post about the birthday trio if they did visit my blog.

So I decided to wait, and wait, until after our June 2020 birthday, and the younger teen turned 18, to share this:

Happy Birthday to you & you!


FEATURE PHOTO at top of post:  Freeport, New York, U.S., August 14, 2018. Birthday trio pose for selfie in lobby of Freeport Memorial Library. Teen closest to camera captured selfie. (Photographer: Name Unknown)


Site:  Freeport Memorial Library

Freeport Memorial Library:  PHOTO GALLERY

Videos of Beatles song:  “Birthday”  •  “Birthday

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