Firemen's dinner to benefit teen car-crash victim Proceeds to help defray family's medical costs BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer WOODBRIDGE - A split second changed JoAnn Gubernot's 15-year-old niece Leslie's life forever in November 2006. For privacy reasons, Gubernot, who lives in Fords, said her niece's family wishes to withhold their last name and where they live. Leslie was involved in a car accident, which involved another motor vehicle that occurred at approximately 10 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2006, and left Leslie with severe injuries to her body. A benefit dinner for Leslie will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Fords Fire Department, 667 King George Road. Tricky tray winners will be announced after the dinner. "The funds will go towards Leslie's medical expenses," said Gubernot, whose husband is Leslie's godfather. "I would like what's best for my niece; however, her family financial situation is becoming very strained, causing difficulty to continue her care." Leslie was the passenger seated directly behind her older sister, who was driving her home from a friend's house on a Friday night. "They were going around a curve when another driver came at them head-on," Gubernot said. "Leslie's sister swerved [to avoid hitting] the oncoming car and hit a truck parked on the side of the road." During the accident, Leslie's side of the vehicle was the main point of impact, and the door was pushed into the back seat. The frame of the car was completely bent, causing the rear window to break, driving glass deep into Leslie's face. The accident left Leslie seriously injured, resulting in multiple surgeries to close her bottom lip, which was punctured by her teeth, realign her lips, reset her shattered nose that had broken into five pieces, wire her jaw closed, close deep lacerations caused by large pieces of glass, cast her broken tibia and right hand, and reconstruct her eyelids. "The most severe injury was to her left eye," said Gubernot. "The pressure gradient in her eye was disrupted, and it was deflating and losing shape. The lens, which focuses light back to the retina, was missing. The cornea, which is the front of the eye, was severely destroyed. And her eyeball was filled with blood and needed to be drained." Gubernot said it took 21 pins, three metal plates, wiring her jaw closed and putting casts on a broken tibia and right hand to repair some of the damage that Leslie sustained during the accident. "However, she still has no vision in her left eye," she said. After Leslie was stabilized, she was transported to Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. "She underwent a cornea transplant hoping to gain back some of her vision that had been lost," said Gubernot. "Unfortunately, her body rejected the first cornea." Leslie went for a second surgery to replace her cornea. "She also was having problems with abrasion near the eye and lip," said Gubernot. "The scar tissue was pulling them down." Leslie underwent another surgery to release the tension. "A piece of skin from behind her left ear was taken and placed under her eye," said Gubernot. Unfortunately, Leslie's retina was almost completely detached, and it was getting worse. "Another surgery was required to fix the damage that had occurred," said Gubernot. "The surgery took three hours, but things looked hopeful. She was able to see shadows." Currently, Leslie visits the doctors in New York City two to three times a week. "They are monitoring her eye closely and adjusting medications accordingly," Gubernot said. Leslie is in need of additional surgeries to restore vision in her left eye and to correct the structural damage to her face. Gubernot said she reached out to her community where she has lived for 32 years because funds are becoming scarce for her niece's care. "She reached the auto insurance limit three months ago," she said. "There are several hospital bills outstanding, including her recent surgery, and none of these bills are covered by insurance. She will need additional surgeries and medical care, including prescription medication." Gubernot added that the only doctors that would treat her niece were located in New York City. "This is adding to the expenses," she said. Gubernot said her niece, who played lacrosse and field hockey in school up until the accident, has been optimistic. "Regardless of how bad the news is, she always remains positive," she said. "I believe it is her upbeat personality that has gotten her this far." Gubernot said Leslie has been studying at home since the accident. "She hopes to someday work for the Museum of Natural History in New York as a paleontologist," Gubernot said. For more information on the benefit dinner for Leslie, call JoAnn Gubernot at (732) 388-8284 or e-mail Netti94@aol.com.