On September 14th, 2012 while preparing the Crusaders for one of the biggest games in the program’s history, Dominic received news that would change his life forever. His son Nico was diagnosed with unilateral retinoblastoma, which is a rare form of childhood cancer. Retinoblastoma is a rapidly developing cancer that develops in the cells of retina, it only effects approximately 300 children annually. Fortunately, for the Santoli family retinoblastoma has a very high cure rate, and Nico’s case was caught very early. However, not only does Nico’s vision and eye itself remain in jeopardy, the treatment is very specialized and expensive.
Nico must undergo surgical chemotherapy which is called intra-arterial chemotherapy. Intra-arterial chemotherapy is the insertion of a tiny catheter into the femoral artery in the groin which allows the chemotherapy direct access to the tumor site. Unlike conventional chemotherapy delivery, intra-arterial chemotherapy reaches tumor sites directly and mitigates side-effects for the rest of the body. Nico is under the expert care of Dr. Shields at the WILS Eye Hospital in Philadelphia and Dr. Jabbour at the Thomas Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience.
Anyone that is close to Dominic knows how tough he is. However, the toughest fight of his life is ahead of him and his family. Anyone that has been around Dominic has been inspired by him, has been moved by his capacity to love, and impacted greatly by his infectious spirit. Now it is time for us to give our heart and soul #ForNico. Please join us in supporting an amazing family and a strong little boy in any way you can.
Here is a short statement from Nico's father, Dominic: