Boy, four, with inoperable brain cancer has his chemotherapy delayed after both he and his mother test positive for coronavirus
- Matteo Ferruzzi was recently rushed to hospital with coronavirus symptoms
- But doctors found out he has a brain tumor and went ahead with two surgeries to mitigate the effects
- He needs to have chemotherapy for the next year but cannot begin until he has recovered from COVID-19
- His mother has also tested positive and is isolated from him
- ‘It was hard for me to be in the bedroom, so sick, and hearing him out there and not being able to tell him, “It’s OK. Mommy’s here”,’ she said
- Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID
A four-year boy in New York is unable to get chemotherapy because he has tested positive for coronavirus.
Matteo Ferruzzi was recently rushed to hospital with COVID-19 symptoms but when he started to cross his eyes, doctors discovered he has a brain tumor.
He had two surgeries to mitigate the effects of the brain tumor, which is inoperable and malignant, but Cohen Children’s Hospital advised he return home to recover before starting a course of chemotherapy.
The situation has been made even worse as now both he and his mother have tested positive.
Matteo Ferruzzi was recently rushed to hospital with coronavirus symptoms but doctors found out he has a brain tumor and went ahead with two surgeries to mitigate the effects
His mother Jennifer Ferruzzi has also tested positive and is isolated from him. ‘It was hard for me to be in the bedroom, so sick, and hearing him out there and not being able to tell him, “It’s OK. Mommy’s here”,’ she said
Now the pair are unable to be in close contact as they are both in isolation.
‘It was hard for me to be in the bedroom, so sick, and hearing him out there and not being able to tell him, “It’s OK. Mommy’s here”,’ Jennifer Ferruzzi told WISTV.
‘It’s such a crazy time for the whole world. We are all in a crisis. The best time I can get a good cry in is when I am in the shower.’
In New York there were more than 223,000 confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday evening and more than 12,000 confirmed deaths.
The mother is desperate for Matteo to recover as soon as possible so he can get chemotherapy for a year to 15 months to help him.
They recently got retested but they are both still positive.
Cohen Children’s Hospital advised he return home to recover before starting a course of chemotherapy for a year
Friends of Ferruzzi and the child’s father Anthony have started a GoFundMe page to raise $5,000 to help the family during this time. They also have children Nicolette and Nico
As of Thursday evening the crowdfunding effort had raised $43,416 to help the family
Now she has urged other parents to act fast if their child appears to be ill.
‘If your child is showing symptoms or complaining about something, absolutely get them into their pediatrician right away, and even if it’s nothing, it is better to be safe than sorry,’ she warned in the interview with WISTV.
Friends of Ferruzzi and the child’s father Anthony have started a GoFundMe page to raise $5,000 to help the family during this time.
They also have children Nicolette and Nico.
As of Thursday evening the crowdfunding effort had raised $43,416.
‘The outpouring of love from Saint James … thank you everyone from the bottom of our hearts,’ she told News 12.