Newtown Edgmont Friends & Neighbors is proud to introduce you to The Sulecki Brodock Family: Matthew, Diana, Mila and Luka. A dedication to serving our country and the medical community may have led them to places far away, but home is where they rest their heads here in Edgmont.
Diana grew up in the Runnymeade Farms development with her parents, who emigrated from Poland, and her older brother, Martin. She attended St. Anastasia Grade School and then Villa Maria Academy for high school. Diana was an active student, participating in the swim and field hockey teams.
Diana said that she knew from an early age that she wanted a career in medicine. “I like to think I got that from my mom, who worked as a nurse in Poland.” After graduation, Diana went to St. Joseph’s University, where she earned her bachelor’s in Pharmaceutical Marketing, then to Gwynedd Mercy University to continue her education in their Accelerated Bachelors Nursing program. She spent her early career in Critical Care as an ICU nurse before joining Penn Medicine at Radnor’s Radiation Oncology department. “Whether in the ICU or Radnor Oncology, where I am now, I have always found it satisfying to be able to help people in some of the worst times of their lives,” Diana explained. “I feel like I have truly made a difference in the lives of patients and their families.” Diana added that she is also currently getting her Masters degree from Thomas Jefferson University in Adult-Gerontology as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner.
Matthew is originally from Florence, NJ, about 15 miles south of Trenton. The town is also home to the Roebling Museum, which showcases the history of the Roebling family, particularly their work on wire rope and bridge construction. Roebling’s factory in Trenton became famous for building suspension bridges, including the one that spans the Niagara River.
Matthew attended Florence Township Grade School and Florence High School, where he was a member of the track and field team. He also studied
karate, earning a fourth-degree black belt, and competed in national an international tournaments.
Like Diana, Matthew was interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. “I had suffered a major allergic reaction when I was young that led to me being hospitalized,” he explained. “That event sparked an interest in medicine for me.” After graduating high school, he attended Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and earned his PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) in 2012. His post-graduate work continued at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he completed his PGY-1 (postgraduate year one). Matthew also isn’t finished growing in his field. He is currently enrolled in a Masters program at Thomas Jefferson University to complete his Master’s of Health Economics next year.
“I currently work at Johnson and Johnson in the Neuroscience Therapeutics area in sales,” Matthew said. “I spent the last 10 years as a pharmacy officer in the US Army; during that time, I held multiple leadership positions with the most recent being Chief of Pharmacy Support Operations at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where I was responsible for supply and budget, safety, quality, formulary management and pharmacy informatics.” When asked what he finds most rewarding about his work, Matthew said that having worked in behavioral health while on active duty, he developed a real passion for helping patients work through mental health conditions.
Diana and Matthew’s story began back in 2011. “We met on the Plenty of Fish dating website in 2011,” Diana explained. “We chatted over the phone for a few weeks and had our first date in Philadelphia at Hibachi on the Pier.” The couple hit it off immediately, dated for two years, and then got engaged in 2013. “Matthew had been talking to my parents about proposal ideas when my mom suggested he do it at their upcoming family party, so he did,” Diana laughed. “Matthew agreed, partly because he was anxious and excited, but I also think he was afraid of not listening to his future mother-in-law!”
Matthew and Diana were married in September 2014 at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Media, with a reception at the Curtis Center in Philadelphia. The ceremony was even more special because her family’s Polish childhood priest, John Palkowski, and St. Mary Magdalen’s Monsignor Chieffo said mass together. “Diana’s family is from Poland, and we had many Polish traditions incorporated into our wedding,” Matthew recalled. “One tradition is where the bride and groom each get a shot glass; one is filled with water and the other with vodka. Whoever ends up with the vodka
wears the pants in the relationship. Diana got the vodka!”
The newlyweds were beginning to settle into married life, but just a few months later, Matthew received military orders to serve his first duty station in Hawaii. They moved to Honolulu in April. Feeling homesick and needing some comfort, Diana and Matthew decided to add a little furry friend to their family. Lulu “from Honolulu” is their now 10-year-old Rottweiler who loves to swim, enjoys family vacations in the Poconos and is the perfect big sister to her human siblings.
Mila is Diana and Matthew’s daughter. She is an active six-year-old who attends St. Mary Magdalen, where she is excited to perform this spring in her school play, The Little Mermaid. She loves karate, princesses, gymnastics and swimming. “Mila is sweet, sassy, thoughtful and always willing to get a bandaid when someone is hurt,” Diana laughed. “She loves hearing about my medical stories and is interested in medicine.” A fun fact about Mila is that she was born in Blanchfield Army Community Hospital. The hospital borders Kentucky and Tennessee, so her parents had to choose which state they wanted listed on her birth certificate (they chose TN). “Mila says some words with a southern twang, and we often laugh that she’s a country girl at heart, loves country music, big trucks and wearing her cowboy boots,” Matthew said.
Mila’s little brother is four-year-old Luka, who attends St. Mary Magdalen and loves karate. Luka is excited to start playing t-ball at Media Little League this spring, and Matthew is even more excited to be an assistant coach for Luka’s team. “Luka is funny, thoughtful, kind, and “all boy.” He is a ball of energy from the second he gets up,” Matthew said. “He also loves his big sister.” Luka was born in Maryland at “the President’s Hospital” at Walter Reed. He loves going to the lake house in the Poconos, riding his dirt bike and is always thinking about his sister.
Luka and Mila will soon have more love to share when they welcome the newest addition to the family this August. “We are expecting a little baby boy,” Diana revealed. “Although Mila tells me she would have liked a baby sister, she is still very excited to meet her baby brother – she just hopes he isn’t as crazy as Luka!”
Life with three little ones will surely be hectic, but perhaps a little less now that the Sulecki Brodocks are settled down in Edgmont. Over the course of ten years, Matthew’s military career took him, Diana and their growing family from Hawaii to Tennessee and then Maryland. When it came time to purchase a home, they agreed they wanted to be close to Diana’s family in Edgmont. “My parents still live in my childhood home, and my brother and his family also live in Runnymeade Farms,” Diana explained. “Matthew and I began our home search in the area and were fortunate enough to find and purchase a home in 2023 within a few streets from my parents and brother.”
“We love it here. Our neighborhood is family-friendly, has a community pool and lots of kids,” said Matthew. “Of course, the childcare and meal services from my mother-in-law, who lives down the street, are a bonus!” Diana agreed and added that their neighbors are great; her parents live on one street, and her brother and sister-in-law and their kids are right around the corner.
When the Sulecki Brodocks want to get away, they head to their family’s vacation home on Lake Naomi in the Poconos. It’s an active community that offers memberships to the Lake Naomi Club, a recreational community with a 277-acre lake with boating, fishing, swimming and sailing. The club also features indoor and outdoor pools, a nine-hole executive golf course, a tennis center and a clubhouse with a restaurant and pub.
When asked if Diana and Matthew wanted to share a special message with our readers, they said, “Being in medicine as well as living for ten years as a military family, life has not always been easy, being away from family and friends and moving often. We truly value being close to our family now and making connections and friends within our community. We often talk to our kids about the importance of family and how to appreciate being close to home. We’ve always said we can get through anything together as a family.”
“We also think that in this area, we are a bit separated from the military, and it’s easy to forget that someone somewhere is missing a holiday with their family. It is important that we not forget about the men and women who serve. We cherish the time we spent as a military family over the last ten years and are passionate about keeping that patriotism alive in our kids; we don’t want them to forget that time and all that we accomplished as a family while serving our country.”
Do you know a Newtown Edgmont family, individual or nonprofit group who should become known by our community? Make your nominations for upcoming feature articles by emailing your ideas to Sheila Turner-Hilliard at STurnerHilliard@BestVersionMedia.com.