By Jessica Haimowitz

Sunday, May 17, 2009 was a bittersweet day for everyone in the Hofstra University Athletics Department. That was the day that renowned Hofstra lacrosse midfielder Michael Colleluori graduated. The university isn’t just saying goodbye to a lacrosse player…they are losing a legend.

There’s more to Colleluori than his superb lacrosse skills. Yes, he was a star player for the Pride, but he also made the Dean’s List and graduated as an All-American Scholar Athlete, which is quite a challenging accomplishment. Colleluori’s determination shows that he will leave his mark in this world in more ways than one.

We first heard about Colleluori in 2006 when his older brother Nicholas, also a Hofstra lacrosse player, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After a tumultuous battle with the disease, Nick passed away November 28, 2006. 

Upon meeting Colleluori, anyone would easily be blown away by him. He is intelligent, well-spoken, passionate and above-all, sincere. What he feels and believes is not merely lip service. There’s genuine passion behind all of his words. It’s amazing how much Colleluori has accomplished in his plight to enhance awareness of his brother’s disease.

The boys’ mother, Cheryl Colleluori recalls her sons. “Nick was aggressive and passionate. He was boisterous, relentless and strong. Mike on the other hand was the exact opposite. He was calm, quiet, more reserved. They were like night and day but they were inseparable. They were best friends, always together.” 

Colleluori’s mother further explained that one of the last things Nick said to his baby brother before he passed on was, “Mike, you have to find your voice because you have so much to offer.” And indeed he does. From that moment on, Colleluori‘s life was never the same. Nick’s passionate and devoted younger brother vowed to dedicate his life and his career to increasing blood cancer awareness. And since Nick’s passing, Colleluori has literally hit the ground running.

So what’s in store for such a talented and devoted person like Colleluori now that he has graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Health? Well, it shouldn’t shock anyone that he has his heart set on medical school, and will perhaps specialize in oncology.

Now back home in Ridley, Pennsylvania, Colleluori is gearing up for a busy summer. Aside from coaching youth lacrosse, he is setting his sights on the MLL draft. Colleluori will also be interning as a research assistant in the Oncology Department at The Hospital at UPenn. In the fall, Colleluori is planning on taking courses at UPenn in preparation for medical school.

Now, Colleluori is on a permanent mission to help whomever he can, however he can. After being diagnosed, Nick established the HEADstrong Foundation, a non-profit organization aimed at broadening awareness of different types of blood cancer. Colleluori has been selflessly devoting a great deal of his time and energy to growing the charity. “For me, running this charity is my therapy,” Colleluori confided. Forget devoted—Colleluori is downright relentless, eager to see the organization flourish. Relentless is the word most everyone used to describe Nick. “Relentless” is the HEADstrong Foundation’s general theme. The word can be found on the merchandise HEADstrong sells and found in the campaigns it runs. In fact, after Nick’s passing, his younger sibling had the word “RELENTLESS” tattooed across his back in his brother’s memory.

With Nick gone, the focus is on HEADstrong. Colleluori and his family have been hosting many HEADstrong annual fundraisers, the most prominent being the Nick Colleluori Memorial Lacrosse Tournament played every October in Pennsylvania. This fall, in addition to that event, the family is also organizing the 1^st Annual Nick Colleluori Women’s Classic set to be hosted at Hofstra University. In addition, the family has recently developed a new fundraiser aimed at getting young people involved in the effort. The “Score for the Cure” campaign encourages young lacrosse players of any age to seek sponsors willing to donate a specific amount of money for every goal the youngster’s team scores during the season. All the money is then donated to the HEADstrong Foundation. “We really wanted to get young people involved and thought this was a great way to engage and motivate them,” said Colleluori.

HEADstrong also raises money through sales of their merchandise which can be purchased on the website at www.HEADstrongfoundation.org. All proceeds go to fund various scholarships for students planning to further their education in the medical field; to fund grants for cancer survivors who are enduring financial hardships and to fund a multitude of other causes. Colleluori was instrumental in developing the Turtle, a mobile device comprised of a flat-screen television and several different video game consoles. Since the Turtle is mobile, all of the patients in the oncology ward at the hospital at UPenn can share it and play video games while undergoing treatments. Through continued fundraising efforts and corporate sponsors, Colleluori is aiming to get a Turtle in every hospital in the area.

In addition to the HEADstrong foundation, Colleluori is focusing his efforts on a support group he established known as LEAN ON ME. After losing his brother, Colleluori wanted to do all he could to help other young adults in his community forced to cope with the loss of a loved one. “It doesn’t upset me to share my experience about losing my brother,” Colleluori explained. “If it helps someone else who is going through the same thing, then I don’t mind talking about it. It’s rewarding.

According to Colleluori’s coach, Seth Tierney, he is really just a cut above the rest. Tierney recalled how Colleluori played lacrosse with an abundance of finesse and poise. “He is an amazing and talented athlete, really one of a kind.” Tierney continued, “Michael lost three people when Nick passed away. He lost his brother, best friend and teammate. Yet he persevered with flying colors…He’s a wonderful person, and always manages to glide through life so upbeat.” He added that Colleluori’s demeanor and positive attitude have made him an inspiration to the rest of his teammates. “Mike is a guy who beats to his own drum, but he’s the bandleader as well.”

It’s evident this impressive, young man is the real deal. Even more impressive was the reaction of a small boy all of about six years old who saw Colleluori in a stairwell and stopped dead in his tracks. He looked up at Colleluori wide-eyed, clearly awestruck and asked, “Are you Michael Colleluori?” Mike gave him an enormous grin, and said he was. The boy looked anxiously back and forth from his dad to Colleluori, and it was obvious he wanted desperately to ask the midfielder for an autograph. Moments later, on their way back up the stairs, the boy’s eyes were glued to Colleluori, staring at him longingly and in complete awe until the door closed behind him. One would have thought this little tyke had seen a celebrity. And indeed, by most standards, Colleluori is more deserving of celebrity than most celebrities are. He is truly an amazing individual. At 22 years old, the graduate has accomplished more and touched more lives than most people ever would in an entire lifetime.

Colleluori’s mom Cheryl recalled a time when her son was coaching at a youth lacrosse camp. While on the field, he noticed the brother of one of the students watching from the sidelines. The boy, who was mentally challenged, was not enrolled in the program, but without hesitation, Colleluori took him by the hand and led him out to the field. For the remainder of the training he insisted on including the boy in all the activities. “This boy was so excited and so grateful. It really made his day. He and Mike have kept in touch over the course of several years now, and just a few days ago, the young man sent Michael an invitation to his high school graduation, saying he wanted Michael to be there. It was very moving. But that’s my Michael,” she continued. “Nick always put everyone else before himself and he taught Michael how to be caring and respectful of others around him as well.”