Saturday, June 6, 2015 – 9:00am to 5:00pm
Woolwich Fire Station – 1517 Kings Highway
Woolwich NJ 08085
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By Anna Carpino
On December 6, 2007, we heard the worst news any parent could ever imagine: We were told that our 4-year-old son Mario had four inoperable brain tumors which included a huge mass in his brain stem. They told us there was nothing that they could do — he had three months to live!
Thankfully after a biopsy, the doctors agreed to start chemotherapy. They told us it was going to be a long road ahead of us, but we didn’t care: we had faith and we had hope. The chemotherapy made his body ache so bad, you couldn’t even hug him or lift him up. It effected his hip, too — he couldn’t even walk or sit up — but though he laid there helpless but never complained!
After the first three months, they did an MRI and it showed the mass shrinking! We were so grateful. They agreed to continue the chemo. After a year and a half they decided to stop treatment since the tumors were stable, but less than a year later another tumor had grown.
The doctors started another type of chemo. In the meantime he gets an infection that required him to be hospitalized for two weeks, requiring surgery every day for 10 days! It was so hard for me to watch. We were at the hospital every week for a year but Mario never complained — his spirits were always so happy.
It’s been almost three years now that Mario has been chemo free. He struggles every day with so many different things — seizure meds, injections every month because he’s not growing, left-sided weakness, vision loss, memory and learning difficulties. It’s an everyday battle, but he smiles every day!
Throughout this hardship Mario has met so many friends. The worst thing is that he lost so many beautiful friends to cancer and he fights in their memory.
Please find it in your heart to help us raise money for a cure! These children fight every day and some lose their battle. As a mother of a son who battles this disease every day, give these children a second chance to live their lives to their fullest! Donate today and help save a life! Thank You & God Bless!