Our beautiful Madison Hadassah Vitello, a sweet, vibrant intelligent and beautiful soul has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Madison is 12 years old. Madison had been living in a remote area of Panama for the past two years living a healthy exciting life with her Mom and Dad, Paul and Nicole Vitello, along with her sisters, Willa, age 9 and Meadow, age 6. Days were spent exploring the jungle, riding their horses through unchartered land, swimming in clear beautiful rivers and meeting families from all over the world. Maddie is an old soul. Her zest for life and exploration is amazing and her passion and care for animals is beyond comprehension. Maddie’s smile is contagious and her kindness, understanding and compassion for others is beyond anything you can imagine. She truly is a remarkable young lady and loved by all who meet her. Their family has weathered some difficult times, to say the least. Paul had been ill with Lyme Disease and Epstein Bar Virus for years and struggling to find a treatment that would help him. He finally started feeling better just recently and they were looking forward to building a life they had dreamed of. It hasn’t been easy being so far from those that love and support them, living somewhere that they didn’t speak the language, giving up a lot of conveniences of living in the States that most of us take for granted, and learning to live a simpler lifestyle. With that said, they do have an amazing community in Panama that supports and loves them very much. One day, Maddie started complaining of mild stomach pain, which turned into back pain. She had several episodes of severe pain that were thought to be pinched nerves. Through many doctor consults, it was thought to be purely a muscular/skeletal issue and would heal with time, we were advised to have her continue normal activity. Through the next several weeks, she did her best to continue normal activity which included horseback riding, her pain increased, and her mobility decreased. Nicole headed to Panama City with Maddie where she sought guidance and help in a foreign country and an unfamiliar medical system. After a week of tests and consulting medical professionals in Panama, although the results were inconclusive, it was found that she had multiple compression fractures all down her spine as well as an extremely low white blood cell count. With the help of family, we were able to get a wheelchair-bound Madison and Nicole to the airport and on the flight home. Maddie was immediately taken to Children’s Hospital in Boston where she remains today. Paul then followed one week later with Maddie’s sisters and the rest of their belongings. After exhausting tests, uncertainty, rollercoaster emotions and sleepless nights, Maddie has been diagnosed. She has an incredible team of doctors that they have put their faith and trust into and a supportive and loving family surrounding them. Nicole and Paul had given up lucrative careers in the States to follow their dream for their family. They were just starting to find work that would sustain them and financially were just starting to get back on their feet. As you can imagine, this has stopped them in their tracks. They have left most of their possessions, including their beloved pets, in Panama and arrived with just a few of their belongings in suitcases. Our family is working on housing for them, but they are in need of help and we are reaching out to you. There’s a long road ahead for the Vitello family, but we are hoping that with your support and kindness, the financial pressure of this nightmare can be somewhat relieved. The Vitello family would use any monies donated through the Go-Fund-Me page with housing, furnishings, appliances, clothing, transportation, food, and day-to-day needs while they try and make sense of what is ahead for them. Thank you for reading their story and please keep them in your prayers.
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