Neighbors

Christopher's Crew comes through

Lynbrook Titans play lacrosse at Hofstra to raise funds for hemophilia

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Fourth and fifth-graders in the Lynbrook Titans lacrosse program had a chance to play on a major league field to honor of one of their own last week, as the team raised money for Christopher’s Crew, a local non-profit named after Christopher Ambrosio, 11, a fifth grader with severe hemophilia.

Christopher was born with hemophilia, a genetic bleeding disorder. He is missing a blood-clotting factor that is essential to prevent bleeding into the muscles, joints and major organs. His mother, Kelly, explained that blood goes through a dozen stages, or factors, to clot, and Christopher is missing the eighth factor. “That’s when it all breaks down,” she said. “The clotting cascade stops, and his blood can’t clot properly. The real danger isn’t something visible like a cut or a scratch; it’s internal bleeding that we worry about. He can bleed into a muscle, a joint or an organ.”

His family started Christopher’s Crew, designed to raise awareness about the rare genetic disease, which effects less than 1 percent of the population. The foundation has grown from a humble beginning, according to Danny, Christopher’s father.

“We started Christopher’s Crew eight years ago,” Danny said. “It started with just an annual benefit dinner with roughly 80 people in attendance, but its really grown. Now we have multiple events each year and last year we raised more than $32,000 in support of hemophilia research.”

Those efforts to fight against the disease, which have grown to include an annual benefit dinner, garage sales, and a fundraising walk, among others, garnered the attention of the Long Island Lizards, a Major League Lacrosse team that plays its home games at Hofstra University’s James M. Shuart Stadium. The team invited Christopher and his family to a game, and said they wanted to help raise money for Christopher’s Crew. “The Lizards got in touch with us, and said they really thought we had a great cause and they wanted to help us out,” Kelly said. “They told us they wanted to have his friends in the lacrosse program come play on the field before a game, and raise money for Christopher’s Crew by donating portion of the ticket sales.”

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