If you ask a Mom of a two year old boy what her son plays with, cars and trains are always a good guess. On top of playing cars, Emmitt really loves music. He is a natural entertainer and quite the flirt. All of the nurses at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children had the opportunity to fall in love with Emmitt’s beautiful eyes. He also built a great bond with his Doctor, Dr. Halligan.

At the very young age of 14 months old, Emmitt was taken to the pediatrician due to a swollen testicle. Their Doctor thought Emmitt developed a hernia and sent them to meet a surgeon at St. Christopher’s Hospital. That next day, the surgeon scheduled surgery to repair the hernia on October 1, 2014. It was not until Emmitt was in the OR that the surgeon noticed the tumor. Emmitt was diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma. He has had many cycles of chemotherapy, a bone marrow extraction and transplant, radiation and a clinical trial immunotherapy all on top of taking many medications. Thankfully, Emmitt fought hard and his mother hopes the cancer never comes back. She wishes a long, happy life for her little boy!

Find more information on Emmitt here:

https://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/help-emmitt-fight-neuroblastoma-cancer/254790

Information provided by his mother, Carissa Young.

We don’t need to tell you that Dominic’s smile is contagious because you can see it for yourself. He has carried that smile through his clinic visits, radiation and physical therapy appointments. Dominic loves people and loves attention from anyone who will give it to him. He can befriend everyone and that is why the volunteers at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House have given him the nickname, “The Mayor”.

Dominic is one in a million. His battle started at a very young age when he was paralyzed before his 3^rd birthday due to a very rare disease called Transverse Myelitis. Dominic relearned how to do everything from moving his fingers to finally walking! Only 1/3 of people with this disease regain the ability to walk again. After doing routine MRIs, they found Dominic’s brain cancer. On August 26, 2014, he was diagnosed with an Inoperable Brain Stem Fibrillary Astrocytoma. His brain tumor is inoperable because of its location in his brain stem and they were told chemotherapy would have little to no effect. He was treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with 30 days of Proton Therapy Radiation which successfully shrank his tumor. Dominic recently had his 9 month post radiation MRI and thankfully, results showed no tumor growth!

Big brother Dominic now has more time to play “I Spy” and “Hide and Seek” with his younger sister and brother. His mother, Ashley, dreams of a long and healthy life for Dominic filled with nothing but smiles and laughter. He continues to smile through tough times and that will inspire many!

Information provided by his parents, Ashley & James Mazzio.

This little Emily may be a young, care free toddler but she is much wiser than her years. Emily is a very outgoing and energetic girl who dreams to be a Rock Star or Actress on TV! When she was 3 years old, her energy started to decline and it showed. She became lethargic and ran fever after fever through the month of April 2014. Emily would complain that walking was too hard or her legs hurt. Her cancer first presented as a virus. After blood tests, she went from the pediatrician to the ER to the infectious disease floor of St. Christopher’s Hospital and all within one day.

Emily has been diagnosed with an extremely rare childhood cancer called Pleuropulmonary Blastoma, located in the lungs. Her treatment consists of surgery to remove her tumor followed by chemotherapy. Surgery was successful and she is now half way through her chemotherapy.

Her Mom says she dreams about the things she has taken for granted like Emily starting Kindergarten next year, holidays with friends and family, high school prom, a wedding. The greatest hope right now is total remission with no reoccurrence. Remember little Emily when she becomes a famous actress in Hollywood!

Information provided by her Mother, Elizabeth Baldwin.

Carter Beckhard-Suozzi, 5^th Grade at Connolly School in Glen Cove, NY

We first met Carter during our Fun Fest at CHOP back in June. He made quite the impression on one of our volunteers, Dana. Carter is a charmer with a fun personality. He loves sports, art, music, video games and super heroes.

Carter had been getting tummy aches for a month and after many doctor visits, his symptoms suddenly worsened. His parents rushed him to the pediatrician on a Monday afternoon and by Wednesday morning he was getting his first round of chemotherapy. Carter was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma on May 19^th.

His recent diagnosis has given him super hero strength and power that he often likes to share with other patients. Carter feels he receives a lot of strength, power and love from his family and friends so he has plenty to share.

He shares, “I know that my life has made a big change and God threw me a curveball. But I am going to get through it with the people I love and care about. My life has changed forever and I respect and accept that because I know all the people who love me and care for me are always going to be at my side and help me get through anything”.

Information provided by his parents, Jane & Ralph Suozzi.

Robin Capecci, Oncology Social Worker at St. Christopher’s Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

Robin studied undergrad at West Chester University and then went straight to University of Pittsburgh for her Masters. She is an extremely hard worker and has dedicated over 30 years of her life at the hospital. A social worker gets to meet all different kinds of people and help them but they also see bad things happen to good people. She is always thinking about others first and her daughter says, “I want her to get to enjoy life because she is always worrying about everyone else”. Robin and her husband, Joe, have been married for 28 years. Joe Capecci, suffers from Multiple Systems Atrophy and she is his primary caretaker. Their daughter, Allie, is 20 years old attending Penn State University.

Robin loves her family and friends, going to the beach, book club with her neighbors, throwing parties and taking walks. She is funny, relatable and can and will talk to everyone! She and her family wish for a cure or medicines to slow the progression of Multiple Systems Atrophy. “My mom is truly the most selfless and wonderful person I know,” says Allie.

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give” –Winston Churchill

Information provided by her daughter, Allie Capecci.

Danny is a humble and kind young man who, like most teenage boys, loves sports and fishing. Danny is a strong athlete and excels at baseball as a pitcher. At the age of 13, during winter practice, Danny complained of an ache above his knee. When the “injury” did not get better, he went for an x-ray which showed an irregularity in his femur. Two days later, Danny was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, otherwise known as bone cancer. After surgery and 21 rounds of chemotherapy at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Danny walks cancer free. His latest scans were clear so his family celebrated!

Danny’s parents could not be more proud of the way he has handled this curveball. He has always been a wonderful brother to his 3 sisters and now is a great role model to all of his peers as well. Danny has inspired so many with his positive attitude. His peers said, “He is the strongest kid we know”.

To follow his journey, please visit www.turn24danny.com.

Information provided by his mother, Gary and Anne Hill.