I want to raise awareness because people do not understand that people with diabetes live with it 24/7 and never take a holiday from it,” says Debbie Nuzzo of West Windsor, who was diagnosed with diabetes at age 19 — three months before her wedding. “It was the worst day of my life and the best day of my life,” she says. “It was absolutely devastating but it made me realize the importance of taking care of yourself.”
Nuzzo is chair of the Mid Jersey Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Crystal Ball: Unlock the Cure to be held on Friday, May 7, at the Hyatt in New Brunswick. As gala chair last year she helped raise $241,000.
Unlock the Cure will have dancing, music by Daddy Pop Band, live and silent auctions, and dinner. James P. Carey, the vice president of health policy at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a company known for research in new treatments for diabetes and its complications, is being honored. Black tie is optional. Ticket price is $250.
“They did not have the tools they have today,” says Nuzzo, co-owner of It’s a Grind coffeehouse in the Plainsboro Village Center, remembering her own diagnosis. Today a glucose monitor makes her life much easier — she can get accurate readings eight to ten times a day. Using an insulin pump for the past 10 years has made the disease more manageable and less overwhelming. “You have good days and bad days. It never goes away. It is always with you.”
Every age group has different issues with diabetes. “Five-year-olds do not understand and teenagers do not want to be different,” she says. “Complications arise and as you get older you have to be aware of cardiac, kidney, and nerve issues. You have to take responsibility.”
Nuzzo was born and raised in Brooklyn in the Dyker Heights neighborhood. After graduation from a girl’s prep school in Brooklyn, she worked for a jeweler in New York City. She began by writing up repairs and with on-the-job training she became their buyer and began to set up the annual sales catalog. “I love jewelry design and that allowed me to be creative,” she says. When she later moved to Rye, New York, she worked with a high-end jewelry designer, earned her gemologist degree, and sold to the wives of the men who were her customers in New York City.
She met her future husband, John Nuzzo, through her sister. “He was my brother-in-law’s best friend, they played baseball together,” she says. Through the years the couple lived in Long Island, Staten Island, and Rye, New York; Maryland; and Stamford and Fairfield, Connecticut. He was a senior vice president with LK Comstock.
John is also involved with community service. On Friday, May 21, he is donating his 100th pint of blood, a donation he began close to 40 years ago. “My sister-in-law was in need of a blood transfusion before the birth of her first child,” he says. “That was the beginning, and I have been giving blood ever since. I only hope that I will inspire others to do the same. We can make a difference one by one.” Each donor at the Wyndham Hotel that day receives a coupon for Thomas Sweet ice cream, a gift certificate for a one-night stay at Wyndham Hotel, and a gift card from It’s a Grind. Call Carol Rossman at 609-936-6623 for information. Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are encouraged.
The Nuzzos opened It’s a Grind in Plainsboro with her brother and sister-in-law, Dave and Cathy DiOrio of West Windsor, in December, 2006. “We all love coffee and John was semi-retired from corporate America,” she says. “Dave and John went to California to get information and now it’s a family affair.” The DiOrio children include Allie, a graduate of High School North, Class of 2008 and a student at Arcadia University; Andrew, a senior at North; and Nicholas, a junior at North.
When the Nuzzos lived in Fairfield, Debbie was a volunteer with the Fairfield County chapter of JDRF. “It’s a good organization that has been near and dear to my heart,” she says. “More than 80 percent of donations go to research and we are all about research to find a cure.” When she moved to West Windsor she became active with the mid-Jersey chapter of JDRF. She is a board member. “The staff is amazing and they really put themselves out there for this event,” she says.
It is so important for people to be aware that juvenile diabetes is on the rise. Nuzzo sells royal blue bracelets for $1 each to raise awareness. She has sold more than $100 worth and has listed patrons of It’s a Grind in the gala program. “I want them to know that any donation can make a difference.”
The Crystal Ball: Unlock the Cure, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Heldrich Hotel, New Brunswick. Friday, May 7, 6 p.m. $250. 732-296-7171. www.jdrf.org.
Blood Drive, University Medical Center at Princeton, Wyndham Hotel, 900 Scudders Mill Road, Plainsboro. Friday, May 21, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 609-936-6623.
