Luca is 11, loves swimming, considers his dog Penny and his baby sister Bella his support animals and can't get enough of video games. Luca has a creative sense of humor, loves to laugh and make other people laugh and takes palpable joy in being alive. That he is alive and able partake in life so deeply is nothing short of a miracle.

Luca was 15 months old when he was diagnosed with ependymoblastoma, a very rare, incredibly aggressive brain tumor. He was admitted to CHOP from the ER after doctors found a mass in his brain. He had surgery the following morning to remove the tumor and alleviate the pressure on the brain from severe hydrocephalus.   

The surgery was just the beginning of a very long, difficult journey. Luca's cancer carried a grim prognosis of 0-30% survival, with the best case being reached with complete cranial spinal radiation as part of the treatment (an option not available to Luca due to his young age.) Instead, doctors opted for a plan including 6 rounds of intensive chemotherapy and 3 stem cell transplants, followed by proton beam therapy. During the course of treatment, Luca had hundreds of shots, countless minor surgeries, many bloodstream infections, lost his hair, lost weight and the ability to walk, was poked, prodded and poisoned...all in an effort to cure him.

In February of 2009, in preparation for proton beam therapy in Boston, Massachusetts an MRI was completed and showed the cancer had returned. Three months shy of his 2nd birthday, Luca's prognosis grew worse. The cancer was deemed incurable and he no longer qualified for proton beam therapy. Instead, doctors suggested they could buy some time with an excruciating surgery that they expected would send him back to infancy - unable to walk, talk, sit up, rollover - even focus or hold up his head, followed by 6 weeks of focal radiation to the area of the tumor. Luca's family and friends continued to pray for a miracle for Luca and continued to hope that one day Luca would recover and be cancer free.

Luca completed his last day of radiation one day before his second birthday and completely finished treatment in January 2010. Luca continued to recover and eventually thrive, until January 2016 when doctors discovered a new mass during a routine MRI.  Luca endured a third major craniotomy to remove the mass. To the surprise and relief of his surgeon, oncologists and family - the pathology on the mass proved to be brain necrosis resulting from his treatment so no further treatment was required. Miraculously, Luca is doing well - walking, talking, jumping, laughing, playing, going to school, making friends - everything the cancer tried to take away. His family and friends are all so thankful for the care Luca has been provided and are committed to fighting for other children like Luca!  

Information provided by Catherine Paciente, Luca’s mom
Updated January 2019