(This has been quite a year for Donald Rosner and his family.
Rosner, a huge Islanders fan who once owned a Bagel Boss franchise, fulfilled a dream by opening a hockey-themed deli on Long Island called “Blue Line Deli & Bagels”. He opened the now very popular deli as the COVID-19 pandemic was starting but thanks to tons of support from Islanders fans and getting the word out on social media, Blue Line has made it big time. He’s also been able to forge a great relationship with the Islanders working with them on projects during the pandemic where food was provided for essential workers.
The connection to the Islanders has also brought about a number of celebrity visits to the deli including Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky. Rosner’s establishment continued to soar in popularity as the Islanders made their magical run through the post-season. When customers came to Blue Line, they very often would see Rosner around the deli working his tail off, but there could also have been some times where hockey fans would have a chance to see Rosner’s mother Lee Ann working at the deli.
But now Rosner and his family’s world has been turned upside down since Lee Ann was diagnosed with stage four uterine cancer and that has led to the cancer spreading to her lungs causing a vocal cord paralysis that prevents her from talking. She is going through treatments but the medical bills are piling up and that has led to the popular Islanders social media fan group “Drive 4 Five” putting together a benefit event with all proceeds going directly to Lee Ann.
The event organizers, including Michelle Pasqueralli, are holding an event on November 14th at Coasters Tavern in East Meadow on Long Island. Tickets for the benefit are $30 per person including food and there will also be 50/50 raffles and giveaways. For those who may not be able to attend the event but still want to help, there is a Go Fund Me page set up and you can find that by clicking here.
This past year has seen Donald Rosner and his family go through a spectrum of emotions. His Blue Line Deli is doing great, but the more pressing focus right now is on his mother Lee Ann and her bout with cancer. If we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic, I’d suggest giving both Donald and Lee Ann a big hug when you visit Blue Line, but of course that’s not possible right now.
But thanks to the great people at “Drive 4 Five”, Islanders fans and hockey fans everywhere can give Lee Ann a virtual hug by coming out to the benefit or donating to the Go Fund Me page so that her medical bills can be taken care of.
You can follow “Drive 4 Five” on Twitter at @DRIVE4FIVE1 and you can join the Facebook group by clicking here. To keep track of what’s happening at Blue Line Deli, give them a follow on Twitter @Bluelinedeli719 and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bluelinedelicorp.
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