Dana had a wonderful personality, loving, always smiling. He loved to rollerblade, play football and basketball, and fishing. He also loved the Power Rangers. 
 
Dana was a healthy little boy, no common colds or ear infections. His parents, Luisa and Randy, took him in for his one year checkup. Dr. Highman found (what she called) an enlarged spleen. This was the day before his first birthday. His parents had booked a place for his birthday party. His doctor had all kinds of blood work and abdominal x-ray. Dana’s parents met with Dr. Highman in her office and she told them that she was very sorry but he had a tumor that was under his spleen. Dana was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. The doctor had already made an appointment with Dr. Ferguson for the next morning. This all happened within 2 hours. 

Dana had surgery on January 30th, 3 days after his first birthday. Dr. Ryan removed the tumor and his right kidney. He started chemotherapy for the next 6 months. Dana was in remission but relapsed a few days before Christmas. He had more surgery, more chemo and every other week he would have his bone marrow tested. Dana was taken to Sloan Kettering Memorial to see if he would be a candidate for an experimental treatment, but he was not. Dr. Ferguson was not giving up, so Dana went through another round of chemo. The following Christmas, Dana had a fever so his family spent Christmas in the hospital again. While rubbing Dana’s back, Luisa found a lump. When Luisa told Dana’s doctors, they asked if the family would like to stay in the hospital or go home. The family decided to go home. Dana became paralyzed from the waist down. 
 
Luisa couldn't help as tears fell down her face. Dana looked at his mother and said, "Don't cry mama my back is going to get better." Dana passed away 3 weeks later with seizures. In between each seizure he would look at his parents and tell them how much he loved them. He passed away at home on February 7, 1995.

Dana is his parent’s hero because he loved everyone and taught them how to love unconditionally

Dana would constantly tell Luisa and Randy how much he loved them. When they asked how much, Dana would tell his parents, “I love you this big, as high as a plane and as long as a Choo Choo train."

Information submitted by Luisa Pinto-Ulness, Dana’s Mother
April 2016