Lynbrook first-responders partner with Northwell

Georgina Cornago Cipriano had been waiting more than three years to hear Mayor Bill Hendrick make the announcement he made to a packed house at the Lynbrook Village board of trustees meeting on May 1.

Hendrick said that the village has partnered with Northwell Health to ensure that police officers, emergency medical technicians and firefighters are armed with kits that include epinephrine auto-injectors — commonly known as EpiPens — to treat people suffering from allergic reactions. In addition, Northwell will train them on how to properly inject the epinephrine into a person through their thigh.

“It’s wonderful,” Cornago Cipriano said. “Epinephrine is the only life-saving medication available for people who have food allergies. Nothing else is going to save somebody if they have a food allergy reaction, so it is very important.”

Cornago Cipriano has first-hand experience with just how tragic such reactions can be. Her son, Giovanni, died on Oct. 18, 2013, after a severe allergic reaction put him in a coma for three weeks. Cornago Cipriano said she was unable to find the EpiPen she always carried with her on the way to the hospital after Giovanni, who was severely allergic to peanuts, unknowingly ate something with them in it.

The announcement came just in time for Food Allergy Awareness Week, which takes place from May 14 through 20. In addition, May is dedicated to allergy and asthma awareness. The dome atop Lynbrook Village Hall was lit in teal on the night of the meeting to acknowledge food allergy awareness.

“It’s been a long road to achieve this,” Lynbrook Police Chief Joseph Neve said. “With the assistance of Northwell, we are now on that road.” Lynbrook Fire Chief Carl Lengel said that now if his department encounters any type of incident involving allergic reactions, “we can address it correctly.”

In honor of her son, Cornago Cipriano has remained an advocate for food allergy awareness. She started The Love for Giovanni Foundation in 2014 in his name to raise awareness and educate people on the dangers of food allergies.

She also formed the Friends Helping Friends Food Allergy Support Group and asked Lynbrook resident Susan Kelly to be a co-leader. Kelly’s daughter, Cara, is severely allergic to many things, including peanuts and sesame seeds.

“I’m so proud that our first responders will be carrying this,” Kelly said. “This is an issue across the country that places are fighting so hard to solve.”

Cara, 10, a fifth-grader at Our Lady of Peace School, said that despite her allergies, she is still very active. She plays soccer and volleyball, competes in karate and plays the bells in her school’s marching band.

“Food allergies can’t take over,” she said. “Because if you let them, you’re not living your life. I can’t talk back to my parents or teachers, but I can talk back to my allergies. They are not my boss.”