Meet Emmanuel

On February 5, 1981, Emmanuel Vizzoni was diagnosed with Burkett’s lymphoma just weeks after his seventh birthday. Over the next two months, his parents, Joseph and Susan Vizzoni, alternated shifts at the hospital while their son endured grueling medical treatments. Sadly, on April 5 of that year, the lymphoma claimed Manny’s life, leaving his family to pick up the pieces.

Coping with their grief and explaining to their younger daughter why her brother had simply “disappeared” proved to be incredibly difficult for the Vizzoni family. At that time, medical treatments for pediatric cancers were developing rapidly; however there were large gaps in the emotional, spiritual, and financial support available for families. Susan reflects, “Joe and I came to understand—because we were running back and forth to the hospital while family members helped care for our daughter—that families with other circumstances must have an incredibly difficult time managing this. We realized that the best thing we could do to cope with our own loss was to start helping others in this situation.”