โฒ๏ธŽ This article is more than a year old.

There are countless ways to honor the memory of a passed love one.

Plaques. Scholarships. Headstones. Even golf outings.

But there are few ways more honorable than through public service.

Jason Silverman only walked this earth for six short years. But some 34 years later โ€“ almost six times more than he lived โ€“ Jasonโ€™s memory lives on.

Itโ€™s called โ€˜Jay Dayโ€™, short for Jason and inspired by the young Silvermanโ€™s fight with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. It is simply the best way that local dentist Dr. Robert Silveman could think of to honor his fallen son.

This yearโ€™s Jay Day, the 34th annual celebration of Jasonโ€™s life, will unfold on Friday, August 2, from 8am to 4pm, at Cornwall Family Dentistry, 850 Norman Drive in Lebanon. Throughout the day, walk-in patients may select one of the following dental services that be offered free of charge โ€“ exam and cleaning, filling, or emergency treatment.

All are welcome, on a first-come, first-serve basis. No questions asked.

โ€œI thought about it, and I figured Iโ€™d do what I do best. Iโ€™m good at dentistry,โ€ said Dr. Silverman, of the origin of the event. โ€œItโ€™s easy to give my services away. Itโ€™s easy to straighten a smile. You can change someoneโ€™s life completely by giving them a smile.

โ€œI have to put myself in a work mode, because it brings up a lot of emotions,โ€ continued Silverman. โ€œIf I didnโ€™t, Iโ€™d be crying all day. Itโ€™s at the end of the day, when everything is done and Iโ€™m sitting alone, thatโ€™s when Iโ€™ll think about it. This way, his death wasnโ€™t in vain.โ€

Silverman is about four years removed from selling his own dental practice in Annville. He now works part-time at Cornwall Family Dentistry.

Cornwall Family Dentistry is located at 850 Norman Drive in Lebanon. (Facebook photo)

Silverman said the idea of discontinuing Jay Day never crossed his mind, and that his new family at Cornwall Family Dentistry really embraced the concept of giving back.

“Jay Day has never missed a beat,” said Silverman of the transition. โ€œWhen I left my own practice and went over to Cornwall, they asked me if I wanted to continue it. Itโ€™s found a new home. Theyโ€™re doing it for the right reasons.

โ€œWe started Jay Day on my sonโ€™s birthday (September 5), the year after he died,โ€ added Silverman, “because people helped me out when he was sick. Itโ€™s whatever we can perform in one day, and if we donโ€™t get to them, weโ€™ll schedule a time for them to come back. Itโ€™s a way of giving back.โ€

Last year on Jay Day, Dr. Silverman and the rest of the staff at Cornwall Family Dentistry treated over a hundred patients in need. Over the years, some 5,000 local residents have taken advantage of Silvermanโ€™s services.

โ€œItโ€™s been extremely successful,โ€ said Silverman. โ€œIn Annville, we were seeing 180 people a day, which is a lot of people. They started lining up at 4:30 in the morning. For a lot of people, itโ€™s the only time they get to the dentist. Weโ€™re reaching a part of the population who canโ€™t afford dentistry.

โ€œItโ€™s really nice to hear that weโ€™ve helped a lot of people over the years,โ€ continued Silverman. โ€œWeโ€™re approaching it like itโ€™s a new year, a new group of people. Itโ€™s a good feeling, but thereโ€™s other people who canโ€™t get there. These people donโ€™t have anything at all. Theyโ€™re living day-to-day. Itโ€™s sad that theyโ€™re left in pain. It can be hell if you have a toothache and have nowhere to go.โ€

In the early 1980s, Jason Silverman was very young when he was diagnosed with ALL. He spent a good portion of his life battling the affliction.

โ€œHe was at Hershey Med Center for a while, and it was in remission,โ€ said Silverman. โ€œBut after the remission, it popped up again and we had to go for a bone marrow transplant in Iowa. His brother Ben was his donor. Jason did well with the transplant. But he ended up getting mumps and there was no way they could save him. He went downhill after that.

โ€œAt that time, the community was amazing,โ€ Silverman continued. โ€œI wasnโ€™t even from the area. People just reached out, and they were going to help my son out. I was just taken aback. They were people who I didnโ€™t even know. Before that, I wasnโ€™t overly benevolent. I started spreading out because I thought it wasnโ€™t enough. We still do Jay Day every year.โ€

At 72 years of age, Silverman is still going strong, and Jay Day right along with him. But even when he does lose the dexterity of his dental fingers, he hopes his sonโ€™s legacy will continue to live on.

โ€œAs long as my body holds up, Iโ€™m going to continue to do it,โ€ said Silverman. โ€œI like dentistry. And as long as thereโ€™s a place like Cornwall Family Dentistry, theyโ€™ll continue it. Hopefully after Iโ€™m long gone, my son will still be honored. If it goes 50 years or 75 years, thatโ€™s great. Someoneโ€™s got to be there to help people out.

โ€œJay Day is for everybody, not just for kids,โ€ concluded Silverman. โ€œIf they hear about it, theyโ€™re eligible. We donโ€™t restrict it to Lebanon County. If they can get here, weโ€™re going to help them. Thereโ€™s no charge. Thereโ€™s no obligation. We get it done. They can save hundreds of dollars.โ€

Somewhere, Jason is smiling.

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Jeff Falk is a seasoned journalist based in Lebanon, PA. He's a graduate of Cedar Crest High School, Penn State University, and a lifelong resident of Lebanon, born and raised. Currently, he is a feature writer for Engle Publishing in Lancaster, the editor of LebCoSports.com, sports director at WLBR...

Comments

LebTown membership required to comment.

Already a member? Login here

Leave a comment

Your email address will be kept private.