Champions for Childhood Cancer

Leo lived a short but extremely full life. He wanted to try and do it all. He loved playing basketball and soccer and cheering on the Jaguars at the stadium. He was academically gifted and performed in children's theater. Leo loved book series like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, video games and music. Leo was preparing to enter into an arts-based middle school, where he hoped to grow as a pianist and actor.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, Leo went from an extremely healthy, athletic, energetic 11-year old, to an almost unconscious child fighting for his life in the ICU at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in the fall of 2023. Leo was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) on November 9th, 2023. After a few months of treatment, it became clear that the chemotherapy treatment he was receiving was not enough to cure him of disease.

The current standard of care for refractory ALL (that which does not respond to standard chemotherapy) is a Bone Marrow Transplant. To prepare his body for bone marrow transplant, Leo received high-dose chemotherapy and full-body radiation. Leo took his last breath on August 19, 2024, sixty-two days after his transplant and a little over nine months after diagnosis. Leo succumbed to organ failure caused by a transplant complication called Severe Veno-occlusive Disease (VOD), which is a toxic injury to the liver's blood vessels caused by the chemotherapy and radiation given before transplant. Leo passed from the therapies meant to save his life.

To have known Leo, was to love him. He was mature beyond his years in many ways. His smile and laugh were infectious. He was an extremely loyal friend and cared deeply for his family. He couldn’t wait to put cancer behind him and get back to playing with friends, joking around with his two younger siblings and growing his sneaker collection. Leo’s life was tragically cut much too short, but his light will shine on through those who love him.

Our family is honored to partner with Fourth and Gold to share Leo’s story and grow his legacy, while raising funds and awareness for the development of less-toxic treatments for pediatric cancer. The current treatments children receive are designed for adults and too harsh for small, developing bodies. If a child is lucky enough to survive their cancer, they have a 95% chance of developing long-term side effects, including secondary cancer and other fatal complications due to the harsh treatments they receive. We can do better! Raising money to help fund trials and research for gentler cancer treatments that are specifically designed for children is the goal.