Toms River's 'Miss Liberty' has never been camera shy. She is now, and needs a hand.

The voice on the other end of the phone sounded ebullient, as always. For Sondra Fortunato, life has been one big parade. That’s still the case, even if the parade is taking a detour.

“This is Miss Liberty,” she said. “I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier. I was feeling sick today for hours.”

Miss Liberty. Miss Super Bowl. Miss World Series. Miss Solar Eclipse. For decades, the blonde bombshell from Toms River with titles galore and her sticker-covered car have been ubiquitous at communal gatherings at the Shore and beyond, from professional sporting events to high school graduations. She’s palled around with Hulk Hogan and Bill Parcells. She’s raised money for first responders. She’s posed for countless photos, always with a megawatt smile.

It’s gotten harder to smile, quite literally, over the past year. Fortunato has been stricken by cancer in her left eye as well as Bell’s palsy, a condition that causes weakness on one side of the face.

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“My eye is really nasty looking — it looks like a baseball,” she said. “The pain at night is like somebody putting a hammer on top of my head. No matter what (medicine) you take, it takes hours to go away.”

She’ll have to move out of her four-bedroom home, which recently was sold at auction.

“I’m still living there for now,” she said. “It’s just a mess right now.”

A kind soul who encountered Fortunato at the Ocean County Library’s Toms River branch helped her set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover her medical and relocation expenses. That person, who wishes to remain anonymous, also reached out to the Asbury Park Press looking to get the word out.

“It’s kind of embarrassing, because usually it’s me who’s raising money for charities,” Fortunato said.

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Don’t get the wrong idea: Miss Liberty isn’t throwing in the towel. She’s heartened by the support she’s received and plans to continue making appearances (more on that in a bit). Her sense of humor remains intact, even though Bell’s palsy makes talking tricky.

“My voice,” she said. “I sound like Sylvester Stallone at the end of ‘Rocky.’”

She just needs a little help off the canvas.

'A staple of the town'

A search through the Asbury Park Press photo archives reveals a treasure trove of Miss Liberty photos. Over the years she struck poses with seemingly half of the New York Giants, but plenty of local police officers and firefighters too. Then there was Hogan, the longtime and legendary World Wrestling Federation champion.

“I could tell you stories about him,” Fortunato said. “He was so upset I gave my number to (prior WWF champion) Bob Backlund.”

Her appearance at the annual Toms River Halloween parade was a given — and will continue next month despite her current challenges.

“I’m going to do the parade — I don’t care,” she said. “I’ll do it with sunglasses. I’m going as ‘Miss Barbie Halloween.’ I’ll wear pink and orange.”

Parade Chairman Carl Weingroff, who is president of Toms River Fire Department No. 1, wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Sondra has been in the parade for years and has always shown her support to the parade and fire department as a whole, not only by being involved in the parade but with random pizzas sent to the station, desserts and posters of her picture and titles,” he said. “She is definitely a staple of the town.”

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Miss Liberty is going to keep wearing that crown, even if it hurts.

“I certainly don’t feel great, but I’m still out there,” she said.

And people are still responding. On Wednesday, during a late-night trip to Dunkin' on Route 37, the manager picked up her tab. A few weeks earlier, a patron at a Seaside Heights restaurant did the same. She also praised the library staff for walking her through the GoFundMe setup.

“What sweethearts,” she said. “They made me feel good.”

So does the stream of emails that wish her well.

“It’s just amazing,” she said. “From men, yes, but women, too.”

She’d rather not wear sunglasses everywhere — “my eyes were always my best feature,” she said — but folks have reassured her about that, too.

“The guys say, ‘You look fine,’ but my eye wasn’t as bad last year as it is this year,” she said.

It’s a Shakespearean twist that one of the Jersey Shore’s most photogenic folks — she knows every Asbury Park Press photographer by name — asked not to be photographed for this story. But totally understandable.

“Wait until I’m looking a bit better,” she said.

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'I just really like people'

Some days, Fortunato feels better than others. Surgery and radiation lie ahead.

The Toms River High School South graduate declined to give her age — “just say I’m in my 60s,” she said — but made it clear she has no regrets about grabbing life with both hands.

“I just really like people,” she said. “My mother always told me, ‘Not everyone is going to love you,’ but luckily it seems that people do.”

After 30 minutes of talking, the pep in her voice still palpable, Miss Liberty is asked if there’s anything else she’d like to tell the public — her public.

“I want to tell them I’m a real lucky gal,” she said. “Across the back of my car it says, 'Toms River, thank you for all your love.'”

The fundraiser for Sondra Fortunato can be found at www.GoFundMe.com.

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Toms River's 'Miss Liberty' battles cancer, could use your help