By Carla Volpe
Here is the story of Johnny and his fight with cancer at seven years old… Jonathan was diagnosed in 2009 with Pre B Cell Lymphoma at the age of seven. The protocol (therapy) for this type of cancer was two years of, intense, chemotherapy; as well as, spinal and cranial radiation. Many phases of this, harsh, treatment was spent on the 2nd floor of Bristol Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital for days and/or weeks at a time. The treatments made him very sick, but he always had good spirits and had a determination that amazed his family. Johnny has been off treatment since 2011 and continues to be watched every few months. The Volpe family is, very, happy with his progress but also remembers that pediatric cancer is a sneaky and wicked disease and there is no cure. One can survive it but there is no true cure. Jonathan has been back to his normal life and is not shy to talk about what he went through and his new “normal life”. He wants to raise awareness for children who suffer from this disease and also does whatever he can to raise money in hopes of finding a cure for pediatric cancer…someday. Hugs for Brady Foundation is a very important foundation to Johnny and The Volpe Family. The foundation is a great source of hope for children with pediatric cancer. Their desire to find a cure, along with improved medicines for children with cancer provides a chance to beat this horrible disease. We must find a cure!